Running With The Shadows
by EchoPhyber09
Summary: Kellan is betrothed to a monster of a man. Her father makes a deal with The Dark One to change her future. He changes more than she bargained for. Can she live with the beast inside, getting stronger every day? Is she truly meant to be the leader of their pack? AU. Rated for later chapters.
1. Running

_**A.N.: Hey everyone! Thanks for taking the time to read this. It's my first-ever publish fan-fiction (I did a LOT of writing several years ago but never got anything published like this), and I hope I don't disappoint!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own ABC, Once Upon A Time, or Robert Carlyle (sad day...) **_

_**Anything you may recognize is not my own.**_

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**Chapter One: Running**

The enchanted forest. Home to many a thousand creature. Humans, werewolves, animals, ogres, dwarves, giants, witches, fairies, pirates, etc. The land was divided up and ruled by different nobles. Down in the marshlands was Sir Maurice. Up in Avonlea was Lord Avonlea. And in the midlands was Sir Cailain. He never had any issues with the other men who helped protect the land. His main concern was making sure the people of his village were cared for and protected.

Sir Cailain's castle was by no means large or huge. But it still held a number of rooms. Plenty for his servants and castle-keepers to live in comfortably. Also plenty for when any amount of nobles might want to stay the week or two. But his most-frequented rooms were on the north-west side of the large stone structure. His daughter's rooms. Sir Cailain had been in this suite of rooms for over an hour now, trying to calm his daughter down.

"But Papa! I don't want to learn to be a lady! I want to run in the forest and be free and away from stuffy, stuck-up nobles!" Sir Cailain had heard this argument before. "I know, my little bear. If it were my way, you wouldn't have to come out of that forest at all. I'd come to you." He said, sighing for the eighteenth time that hour. "But please. You are a lady of this court, and as such, you must dress and act the part." He told her, before signaling to her maid to finish getting her ready. A pair of vivid green eyes pleaded at him from the reflection of the looking glass. "Papa, I'm almost eighteen. I've seen and done everything you've asked of me. It's not my fault my step-mother can't stand the sight of me. All she ever does when I'm in her presence is either cut me down or insult Mama. I don't know how much more I can take. I don't want her ruining Mama's memories with her cruel words." The girl said. "Watch your tongue, Kellan. That is my wife you're speaking about. I know she is not your mother, and things between the two of you are rocky at best, but she is the greatest thing that's happened to this land since your mother passed away. Now finish getting ready and get down to the court." Her father left without another word.

The maid, Granny, was a very gentle woman. She was never known for raising her voice or speaking ill of any person. But as Sir Cailain walked out of the room, the elderly woman turned her blue eyes on Kellan. "That man is so blinded by his love for his people that he doesn't realize he's married a snake." She said simply, trying to ease Kellan's nerves. Kellan turned her sharp eyes on to the maid with something close to awe. "Granny! You never speak ill of anyone!" She exclaimed, before laughing out loud. "Well, I won't tell if you won't." The maid said, sending the girl a wink. Her goal was to get at least a smile on the beautiful blonde's face, and the laugh was an added treat. Granny had raised Kellan from the moment she came from her mother's womb. And she wouldn't let anyone mar Kellan's memories of the late, great Lady Ilsa. "I'm just about done here, lass. I'll leave you to your thoughts a few moments more, but you will have to go to court today. I hear it's a big day for us all." The kindly woman said, before sending a last wink to the girl. "What do you mean, Granny? How come I haven't heard such things?" Kellan asked, but turned around to an empty suite.

Well, that was disappointing. Kellan sighed to herself before standing up and looking at her reflection. She hated getting dressed up and cleaned and scrubbed and polished til she shone. She wanted the natural setting of dirt under her finger nails, running barefoot through the trees she practically grew up in. Looking at herself now, she barely recognized the reflection. Long, beautiful blonde hair that usually flowed down to her waist was pulled up into a very intricate style that left the ends draping across her shoulders. Lightly tanned skin without any imperfections was enhanced by the deep emerald of the floor length gown. It was one of the more elegant pieces she had, and though it was pretty, she hated the dress. The sleeves came all the way down to her wrists before ending at a point on top of her hands. The bodice was a little tight, but not uncomfortably so. It definitely showed that she was more a woman than a child now, and she hated it. She hated the fact that it accentuated her chest and hips, while at the same time trying to shrink her waist. Fashion was stupid in her opinion. Give her a pair of riding pants and a loose carpenter's shirt and she was in heaven. She didn't like shoes - especially the evil ones they put on her this morning. They were soft, granted, but they pinched her feet painfully and the two-inch heel on them was killer.

After assessing her wardrobe and finding it greatly under par to her liking, Kellan let her eyes travel back up to her face. Red lips that were constantly frowning unless she was out in the forest tried to form a smile. No such luck. Her cheekbones, which were too high for her stepmother's liking stood proud under her green eyes. Thick, dark eyelashes showed a sense of defiance when coupled with an angry glare from Kellan. Over all, the blonde knew she was not ugly. But the only time she ever felt truly beautiful was when she was either by herself or with an animal of some sort. Certainly never when she was forced to look and act like a porcelain doll.

Kellan gave one last sigh and, holding her head proudly, exited her rooms towards the courtroom.

"Ladies and gentlemen. May I present my step-daughter, Kellan." A cold-sounding voice reverberated through the room. Murmurs were passed around, wondering why the Lady Selene didn't address the young mistress by her proper title. Most knew, however, that it was because of a deep hatred the woman held for the girl. No one knew why, of course. But all turned their eyes to the side of the room where the lady stepped out. She walked over to the three thrones in the center of the room and gave a curtsy to both her parents, and turned to give one to the room, before sitting down humbly in her own seat. She was a different person when she was present in court. There was none of the laughter, anger, defiance, or any emotion at all. She was what she hated: a breathing doll. As she sat there, she began to daydream about being in the forest, or the town, or anywhere but in this great castle. Sure, there were plenty of people to talk to, but she always felt lonely. The only time she felt alive since the black plague took her mother is when she wasn't in the castle.

Her reverie was broken, however, by her step-mother standing up to give a speech. This was most unusual. Usually, she just gave orders and demands from her throne. The only time Lady Selene ever got up was to leave the room at the end of the court sessions. And this unusual activity was not lost on anyone. The moment the woman stood, all conversations ceased and all eyes were on her. The tall woman with raven-black hair smirked in response. "As you all know, four days from now is Lady Kellan's eighteenth birthday. Now, this is a milestone in every young woman's life, as it is the transition from girl to woman. However, she would not be allowed a place or a voice in the court unless she be wed." The woman's words were true. That was the biggest reason Kellan couldn't wait to have her birthday. Once she was a 'woman' by society's standards, she wouldn't have to get dressed up like this anymore. She wouldn't have to sit in on her stepmother's courtroom sessions anymore. She could do what she pleased and no one could tell her differently.

"Of course," Selene continued. "If Lady Kellan was to find a proper suitor with serious intentions of being wed, she could continue being part of the court even if they weren't married right away." Lady Selene looked to Kellan and sent her a smile. To most, it looked like a reassuring smile. To Kellan, it looked evil. "As it is, we were graciously visited by a young man from the highlands just this morning. He told us how he heard of Kellan's beauty and that he had come down to ask for her hand in marriage. Sir Carlyle, would you please step forward?" At her request, a young man walked up to the raised platform on which they sat. Kellan was rendered speechless with hatred, anger and fear. This woman was to pawn her off to the highest bidder. The man - Sir Carlyle, she reminded herself - was not bad looking. In fact, he was rather handsome. He was tall, almost a foot taller than her average five-foot five inches, and had dark brown hair that almost looked black. His eyes were a deep, muddy brown. To most girls, they would be beautiful. To Kellan, they looked lifeless. His body was very muscled - obviously he cared a great deal about being in shape. He was obviously a fighter of some sort - not just a knight. As she examined the man standing before her, Kellan was aware that he was also appraising her. To her surprise, she found that he wasn't looking at her like a man should look at a woman. He was looking at her like a wolf would to an injured deer. A piece of meat.

When the man started to bow and introduce himself to her properly, Kellan abruptly stood and glared at her step-mother. "I cannot marry this man." She said, before running out of the courtroom. Behind her, she heard gasps, outcries, and admonishment of her behavior. She didn't care. There was no way she was going to willingly give herself to a man that she knew wouldn't treat her with the respect that she was deserved. She ran all the way back to her suite of rooms, discarding her evil shoes somewhere along the way. When she got there, she bypassed her sitting room and went straight to her bedroom. She immediately ripped the dress off, and all her undergarments before flinging her wardrobe doors open. She grabbed her riding pants, a pair of very fine leather boots that she had made for special occasions (they were the only shoes she liked when she knew she couldn't go without), and her carpenter's shirt. She quickly donned them and went back to her wardrobe. She grabbed a make-shift bag that she had made a few years ago for just such an occasion and quickly put all the belongings she would need inside. Thankfully, she knew where everything was so she didn't waste time in finding these things. A few books, two changes of clothes, undergarments, and the pendant her mother had given her on her deathbed. She would never have to see her evil step-mother, that horrid man, or anyone again. She was almost thankful that she wouldn't have to see her father again since he agreed to this union, but went back on her thoughts. No matter what he had done, she knew he loved her very much and would always care for her. She couldn't begrudge him that. After everything was safely tucked into her bag, she wrapped it around her shoulders with a strap of leather she acquired and opened her bedroom windows. Her rooms in the castle were very high off the ground, but there was any ivy lattice that grew up the side, right next to her window. She knew her father had planted it there to grow like that on purpose after she had nearly broken a leg trying to scale the building. Even though it was still light out, the sun was beginning to set and the entire back of the castle was cast in shadow. She mentally sent a 'thank you' to whoever built the castle so that the setting sun would be on its face instead of its back, and began her climb down.

When she reached the ground, she turned and started to run. The years of running through the woods and other places for fun had, in her mind, toned her body to a physical perfection and the race to the wood's edge was not tiring at all on her lungs. Once she reached the edge, she could hear shouts of the guards preparing to go after her. Of course 'Lady' Selene would send people after her. She very publicly snubbed the Lady of the castle and her actions demanded retribution. 'Good luck trying to find me in here, boys...' She thought, before turning her back on the castle and running deep into the woods.

Back at the castle, the courtroom was in disarray. Nobles were shouting at each other, reveling in the chance to throw blame at whomever they didn't like. Sir Cailain had sent a few of the maids that Kellan trusted up to her rooms to find her and calm her, and Lady Selene was trying to persuade Sir Carlyle that the girl would come around in time. She would make sure of it. When word got out that the young woman had run, things really started getting heated. Sir Carlyle insisted on being part of the searching party, Lady Selene was fuming, and Sir Cailain was sending up a mental hope that his daughter - his only joy in life anymore - would never be found. He knew he was wrong in trying to set her up like this, but he didn't realize how wrong he was until it was too late.

At the back of the room, in the shadows where no one paid attention, a lone man stood. "Run far and fast, my little lamb... Night is coming and the full moon isn't kind to everyone..." He said, smiling to himself at his own little joke before disappearing in a cloud of purple and black smoke.

Kellan was able to out distance the guards and Sir Carlyle very easily. Even with the knight's impressive background of hunting, he soon lost her tracks. She had smirked to herself when she realized he was tracking her and had taken to the trees. In this part of the forest, the trees were very close together and she could move through them as easily as if she were on the ground. She stayed within hearing distance of the searching party only long enough to hear that they were giving up the hunt for her. Good. That meant she could finally come down from her perch and get to her 'secret' hiding spot.

Over the years of running and playing hide-and-seek with the castle guards, Kellan always found her way to a very secluded grotto that seemed to show itself only to her. This is where she made her way to. As she reached the little 'home-away-from-home', she couldn't help but stop and admire its beauty. It was a little pond that was fed from two different little rivers each spring when the snow melted. The pond itself was ringed with bushes and a few trees, but the most beautiful part was the grotto itself. A little cave sitting just on the other side of the pond from where she stood. There was nothing truly unique about it except the the curtain of wild ivy that hung down from the top. The vines hid the entrance to the cave excellently, and only by literally pulling them away could one see the cave itself. From afar, and even from close inspection, it looked just like a large boulder with a curtain of ivy on one side. As Kellan walked to the entrance she now knew by heart, she let her hands drift over the many flowers that bloomed all around the entire area. There were flowers of all kinds, colors and smells. She felt like this was her own little heaven when the rest of the world had been hell.

As she entered the cave and smiled at the untouched layers of fur on the ground as a make-shift bed, she again thanked whoever was watching over her that no one had stolen them. She had placed them here over the years for when she needed a place to go to for the night when her step-mother had been unusually unkind. Since finding this secluded area years ago, she had slowly but surely made it so that living here for a few days wouldn't be unbearable. There were little mementos from home: the furs, a very small chair - and things she added from the forest: wood stocked up in the corner to keep dry for a fire, flowers she gather from her 'garden' outside that she dried and crushed to keep the place smelling lovely. These little things reminded her of why she couldn't stay at the castle anymore. Here, she could be herself, live by herself, and by her own rules. There, she was always under careful watch, always told what to do, when to do it, and what to wear.

After taking out one of her few books that she brought along, Kellan bundled herself in one of the furs and began to read before the last of the daylight was swept away. She only got a chapter or two into the book when she placed it on the floor next to her and snuggled in for a peaceful night's rest. As she dozed off, she heard a lone wolf cry in the distance and smiled to herself. She loved the wild.

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_**AN: Me again! Thank you all who've read this! Any review would be greatly appreciated!**_

_**SeriouslySirius09**_


	2. Changes

_**A/N: Hey all! I know I just started this story, but I already have three chapters finished, so I'm thinking I'm just going to go ahead and post them! Yay! I hope everything is turning out well.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own ABC, Once Upon A Time, or Robert Carlyle **_

_**Anything you may recognize is not my own.**_

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**Chapter Two: Changes**

As the sun gently and quietly rose in the east, Kellan began to stir. She had weird dreams of strange sounds surrounding her, and she thought she even felt something wet touch her hand. But of course, that was just a dream. When she finally awoke with the sun just over the horizon, she blinked and looked around. Something was off. Not in a bad way, but in a way that made her suspicious that she wasn't alone. She sat up, straightening her shirt, and looked around. It was hard to tell, but she was sure she saw prints in the soft dirt floor of the cave. Upon closer inspection, she realized they were wolf prints. That didn't alarm her - she knew that they were probably curious at the smells coming from the cave and went to investigate. She knew that if they were hungry, she wouldn't have woken up at all. She would have been devoured. It was just the way of the world. After all, she was in their territory. No, the fact that she was visited by wolves - she saw multiple print tracks - didn't alarm her at all. What did alarm her, however, was the sheer size of these prints. She knew from studying the four-legged animals that she'd become familiar with that alphas were typically larger than the rest of the pack. But these prints were massive. And all three tracks that she found were roughly the same size. If she didn't know they were wolf tracks, she would have easily assumed three bears had wandered in.

Shaking off the feeling that she was visited by something so big, she quickly re-packed her book in her bag, tied it together, and slung it over her shoulder. She made sure everything else was put back in its place before wandering outside. She walked over to the little pond and scooped up some water in her hands to drink. Since it was still mid-spring, she knew the water was relatively clean. And she had never seen any animals in or around the area to let her think she wasn't the only one there. After relieving herself in one of the bushes inside the forest line, she made sure she had everything before continuing her journey. She was getting hungry, and she needed to get to the local village soon if she were to keep up her strength.

After an hour or two of walking leisurely through the woods, she saw more of the huge wolf prints and made a mental note of where she saw them. She needed to eat, but she was also dreadfully curious as to what made these prints. If they had come to her in the night, when she was utterly helpless, and left her alone, maybe they weren't interested in making a meal out of her. Of course, she couldn't be sure. They were just animals, and the one thing that drove animals was food. She shrugged and again continued her journey to the village. As she neared, she could hear voices shouting and knew that something was wrong. They were still looking for her. Damn them for being smart. She thought she had another day at least to get some rations before they thought of checking the village. As it was, she crept closer and peered through a bush to watch what was happening. To her horror, she saw that man - Sir Carlyle - dragging people out of their homes and beating them into submission while the guards searched the houses. Fury and fear welled up inside her at the same time and she had a decision to make - quickly. She either ran and let these innocent people get hurt over her when they had no idea she had run away, or she sucked up the courage to face the monster wearing a man's face and save the village. The choice was clear. She wasn't about to let people get hurt because he was angry at her for running.

"Stop it right now, Sir Carlyle! Leave those people alone!" She shouted, stepping out from behind the bushes. She knew he heard her - half the village froze in its frenzy to watch the woman they were looking for walk toward them. But he still beat a child in front of his mother to show dominance. After a moment, he stopped and turned towards her. "Ah, the lovely Lady Kellan." He said, his voice dripping sarcasm when he said 'Lady'. "How kind of you to grace us with your presence. And in such a state! Hair disheveled, wearing pants, and dirt upon your face. Your mother would be horrified." He sneered, ambling over to her. "I could care less what my step-mother thinks of me. I will go with you only if you stop torturing these innocent people." She said, emphasizing the word 'step'.

"Certainly, my dear. After all, you have a wedding to plan. I was going to court you the proper way, but after your little show yesterday, your step-mother gave your hand to me without question. We are to be wed one week after your birthday. Guards! Take her back to the castle." He ordered, smirking down at her. Kellan was frozen to the ground with his words. In three weeks, she was to be wed to that... monster? Not if she had anything to say about it. She was about to turn back into the woods when his hand reached out as quick as lightning and grabbed her arm. "Oh no you don't, my sweet. There's nothing you can do now." He said, before grabbing her bag and ripping it open. Her books, clothes and her mother's pendant fell to the ground. "Oh how sweet. You still carry the dead woman around." He noted, before picking the pendant up. He waited until she was secure between two guards before smiling. "I don't think you'll need this where we'll be going." He said, before throwing it back on the ground. She realized only a moment too late what his intentions were. "No! Not my mother's pendant!" She pleaded, tears jumping to her eyes. But she watched in horror as the metal-tipped heel of his boot came crashing down once, twice, three times onto the only memento she had of her mother. As she watched, the metal chain was the first to break, then the locket itself, then the entire thing was in pieces. She couldn't hold her tears back anymore.

"You monster! How could you? That was the only memory of my mother I have left! You destroyed it!" She screamed, struggling with all her might against the guards holding her. They were having a difficult time and had to call for another to aid them. Before she knew what happened, there was an audible slapping sound and her head was jerked hard to the left. A second later, her cheek erupted in flames and she gasped. He had backhanded her. The shock from being hit rendered her speechless. She had never been struck by anyone. If she had ever been punished, it was with a strong word and no supper. But this, she didn't expect this. As she stood there in shock, she realized her cheek was wet. She figured it was from her tears, until the mother of the child Sir Carlyle beat gasped in horror. As Kellan turned to look at the woman in confusion, she felt something drip onto her shirt. A quick glance down told her that he had split her cheek open. She tried to figure out how, then her eyes landed on a ring with a wicked edge to it on his right hand. She knew from the look the woman was giving her, that she was cut pretty badly. Fresh tears sprung to the surface, but the blonde girl held them back. She wasn't about to show this monster that he could control her. She lifted her chin defiantly and he only smirked. "Take her back now. And get her cleaned up. I want her as fresh as she could possibly be for the presentation of our betrothal ceremony tomorrow." Sir Carlyle told the guards. As they hauled her away, Kellan looked back to the woman. She had moved over to the pendant and began picking the pieces up, placing them gently into her apron. She glanced up and gave Kellan a small, comforting smile. Kellan tried to smile back, but the pain in her cheek was too much.

The journey home was uneventful. She knew that there was no way she'd be able to escape now, especially after she heard that special precautions were being taken to make sure she was watched at all times. As they neared the castle, she found - to her utter dismay - that her ivy ladder was going up in flames. She wouldn't be able to climb down anymore. Well, she could always jump and hope that the fall killed her...

When they walked inside the castle, Kellan was ushered into her suite before anyone of any importance could see her. She looked around her room and found that someone - probably her step-mother - had completely destroyed the place. All of her belongings were either broken or burned, and the only thing left untouched was her bed. That was probably Susan stepping up to stop the madness. Even her looking glass was broken. Well, seven years of bad luck on her... she thought, smiling slightly to herself. She didn't even care that everything had been destroyed. All her comfortable clothes were gone, replaced by even tighter and more uncomfortable dresses and gowns. Before she could even begin to feel sorry for herself, the door to her sitting room flew open with a bang and a moment later her step-mother stormed into her bedroom. "How dare you make a fool out of me in my own courtroom?!" She started, before her eyes found the cut on Kellan's cheek. Selene sneered at her and backhanded her in much the same way Sir Carlyle did. It reopened the cut that had just barely stopped bleeding horribly, and fresh blood worked its way down her face once again. Kellan, however, didn't give Selene the satisfaction of showing that it hurt. "You deserve that and more, you ungrateful wench." She spat, before ordering Susan to clean her up and leaving the room.

"Oh my dear girl. What a horrible woman!" Granny exclaimed, before rushing over with a basin of water and a rag. "You wash the blood off and I'll go get some things to clean that wound. We'll have to stitch it." She said, before rushing back out of the room. Kellan sighed and looked into her looking glass for the first time. She gasped at the cut on her face, not caring about the blood. The cut ran from just to the side of her right eye all the way down almost to her lip. It was diagonal, and surprisingly straight. But it would leave a scar. Kellan didn't mind. It would remind her every day that she was going to get out of this hell hole. When Granny came back, Kellan's face was relatively clean of blood and whatever dirt had accumulated over the night. Her hair was a wreck and would take hours to get it presentable. But they were both focusing on the cut right now. "Alright dear. This will hurt - a lot. I'll try to be as quick as possible." Granny warned, before starting the stitches. True to her word, the stitching was the worst pain Kellan had ever felt. But she muscled through it with a clenched jaw and a determined chin.

"There. That should help it heal." Granny said, before stepping back and admiring her work. "Granny, when I was out there, I found paw prints. Wolf prints. But they were huge! Almost as big as a bear's!" Kellan exclaimed, wanting to tell the elderly woman what she had found. Granny gasped and sent a sharp look to the girl. "Promise me, that if you ever go out there again, you won't follow the prints or try to find the wolves that created them." She said, leveling a hard stare at the blonde. "But Granny - " "No Buts! Promise me!" She ordered, pointing at Kellan. The blonde girl sighed and nodded her head. "I promise." She said, her shoulders slumping. She knew that the elderly maid knew something about those prints, but she wasn't about to ask her.

"Good. Now, let's get you cleaned up enough for your father. He'll be coming around soon to see you." The woman said, walking over to the wardrobe and picking out the most comfortable dress she could find. It was a simply cut one, made of a dark blue fabric, and she began to dress Kellan. After all her clothes were on, they tried to tackle her hair. They were only just able to make it presentable when a knock came to the door. "Kellan? May I come in?" Her father's voice wondered from the other side of the door. "Yes Papa. Come in." She said, standing up and walking out to the sitting room. She straightened her back and turned her face slightly so she was looking at him, but her cut wasn't in plain view. He smiled warmly at her as he entered and went to embrace her. "Not right now, Papa. I'm too sore from the day's events." She said, holding up one of her hands. She was still angry at him for condoning this arranged marriage and couldn't take a hug from him right now. "What do you mean, my dear? Sir Carlyle said he ran in to some complications when he found you, but said that it was of no consequence." He said, confusion clear on his face.

"No consequence?! Papa! He beat an innocent child because he was crying! He forcefully removed people from their houses to search for me! Look what he did to me!" She said, finally turning her face to show him the stitched cut. A loud shout and a curse flew from Sir Cailain's mouth as he rushed to his daughter. "How did he do this? He told me you had fallen and received a slight cut from a branch! Certainly nothing of this magnitude!" He said, now frightened for his daughter. "No, Papa. He backhanded me with a large ring on after he literally destroyed mother's pendant. I want nothing to do with him. He is a monster!" She said, ripping herself from her father's hands. "And you condoned this! You allowed this to happen! How could you?" She asked, whirling on him. Her resolve faltered when she saw the tears in his eyes. "I know, my little bear. I am so sorry. After you ran, I realized what I had done and I mean to make it right. I want you to come with me tonight. We're going to meet someone who could turn all of this around. You will never be forced to marry this monster if I have anything to say about it." He said, almost to himself. After excusing himself with a time to meet later that evening, Kellan was left to her own devices. She was brought food for dinner, and when she realized that she hadn't had anything to eat all day, she devoured it. It was something far simpler than what would have been served at the dinner table with her parents, but it was full of proteins and things she would need to heal and regain her strength. At eleven o'clock that night, her father came to escort her to the castle library. Two guards accompanied them, but once they reached their destination, left the father and daughter alone. "Now my dear. I need you to keep a level head. I know you wouldn't condone this had you known what I was about to do, but I need your full support for this. It's the only way." He said, getting a strange glance from his daughter. "Of course Papa." She said, raising her eyebrow at her father's words.

The next thing she knew, there was a slight 'pop' and a cloud of purple smoke filling one side of the room. "You sent for me?" A high-pitched voice said from the billows of the smoke. "Papa! You didn't!" Kellan whispered, knowing now what her father's intentions were. He gave her a warning glance before turning to the slight figure in the shadows. "My name is Sir Cailain and -" "Yes, yes, yes. I know who you are. What I want to know is why you've sent for me. I am a very busy man, dearie." The figure said, before stepping into the light of the moon shining in through the windows. Sir Cailain gasped at his appearance and took a step back, but Kellan held her tongue and her stance. She carefully looked over the... man? that she had heard so many rumors about. He was shorter than she expected, but taller than herself. He was also thin, and had an aura of absolute power. 'The Dark One', she'd heard him be called. Upon closer inspection, she noticed his skin was a dark mossy gray-green with something that looked like gold flecks throughout. His eyes were pitch black, but could have been a very dark brown. She couldn't tell from this distance. As she looked him over, she noticed his clothes were very unusual, but also very practical. Leathers and - was that a dragon-skin vest? Well, she had to hand it to him. He didn't dress like someone with his kind of power usually would have. He wasn't wearing anything that couldn't protect him from something. Everything he wore had a purpose. The boots, she could tell, were very comfortable, but also very durable. Same with the leather pants. She wasn't sure about the vest, but the shirt underneath was also comfortable- and durable-looking. Over everything, she noticed the one thing that stood out of place. His cloak. It was the only thing that seemed to not belong. It didn't serve a purpose other than to intimidate. Which, she thought, was probably the reason he wore it.

As she inspected the man, her father cleared his throat and spoke up. "Yes. Why I've sent for you. Right. Well, you see, my daughter is betrothed to a monster -" He faltered at the flash of anger in the man's eyes and quickly re-worded his sentence.  
Betrothed to a horrid excuse for a man and I want to get her out of it. I heard that you may have some connections with people that could help her and protect her." He said, trying to to stammer at the man who seemed to be mocking him. "From what I saw yesterday in the courtroom, you were the one to condone this... match." The man said, earning a gasp from Kellan. "You were there?" She asked, not being able to help herself. "Of course dearie. Everyone who's anyone was there. After all, it's not every day the only daughter of the Lord of the Land gets betrothed." He said, giving her a smile that told her he was mocking her. "I must say, though, there is something about you that's different tonight than it was yesterday. What could it be?" He asked, practically dancing over to her. Her father meant to pull her back, but Kellan stood her ground. "Ah yes. Now I can see it. The mark of someone who's defiant to the last breath." He said, his eyes scrutinizing her stitches. "I must say, dearie, that I rather like the new look. Makes you look more... rugged. Natural. A fighter." He finished, before giggling slightly and stepping away. Kellan just glared at him. It was a backhanded compliment, but a compliment nonetheless.

"As it stands, I do happen to know a group of very... down-to-earth people that can easily help your little Lady here." He continued, turning his attention to her father. "However, she would have to change drastically in order to fit in with them. Her hair, for one, would have to be cut. Very short. And other such things. And I would normally have to talk these people in to letting her join them, but they've seen what she did in the village today, and a few of them have even run into her last night." He finished, letting out another giggle. "What do you mean? I've met no one last night." Kellan asked, taking a step forward. "Oh don't I know it, dearie. But they've found you and are interested. Most people wake with a start when a werewolf enters their sleeping area, but from what I understand, you relaxed even more in your sleep." He said. Sir Cailain gasped, as did Kellan, when she put his words together. "Th- those prints were of werewolves? But they're only out to kill! How did they leave me in peace?" She asked, receiving a giggle. "You'll find out, dearie." He said, before taking a few dancing steps backward.

"Now, do we have a deal?" He asked, turning back toward Sir Cailain. "But what about price? You always ask for a price." He protested, hoping the price was too steep and he could try and find another way to save his little bear. He didn't want her turning into one of those... things. "Ah yes. Well, my price on this special occasion, can only be exacted from her. And I will speak to only her about it. She could still choose not to agree, but I must make sure no one else is around to hear it. Shall you escort her back to her chambers?" The man said, giggling like mad before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. "No! You will not pay for my decision!" Sir Cailain said, beginning to walk Kellan back to her bedroom. "You heard him, father. I can still make the decision to say no. If the price is too steep, I will turn him down. But I must find out the price before I even decide one way or the other." She said, a note of finality in her voice. Her father was quiet from then on, until they reached her chambers. "I hope to see you in the morning, but I have a suspicion that I won't. Just remember, my little bear, that I love you. And you are growing into the woman your mother would have been very proud to see." He said, a single tear rolling down his eye as he hugged her. "Thank you, Papa. I love you too. So much." She said, before entering her sitting room. She knew where the mysterious man was going to be and walked through to her bedroom and out on to her balcony. She didn't see anyone, but knew he was there.

"Are you going to show yourself, or am I going to talk to myself?" She asked, hardly flinching when he dropped down from above her head. "Very astute young girl. I'm impressed." He said, giving one more giggle before turning serious. "Now. My price. That... knight. Sir Carlyle. He must die. Publicly. By your hand. He's been an itch I can't quite scratch for a few months now, and I've never had a reason to get rid of him like this before." Kellan had paled considerably when he began to ask for his price. "Bu- but I can't kill him. There's no way. I'd be hanged!" She said, her hand going to her throat as if she could feel the noose already. "Ah, but you can. And you will. I've arranged it so that tomorrow, during your betrothal ceremony, when you kill him, the only witness to it would be myself. Everyone else will have gone blind - momentarily. Giving you enough time to tear his throat out and run back up here to change into something more... comfortable. I will be waiting for you in the sitting room, and I will help you escape to the meeting place of my little... pack." He said, his mischievous glint coming back into his eyes.

"But how could I just rip out his throat? I don't have the strength for that!" She said, taking a small step back. "Ah, you see, should you accept our arrangement, I can change you temporarily to be able to do all that and more." He said, his hand giving a little twist and flourish. "If I accept to kill Sir Carlyle, tomorrow at the betrothal ceremony, you will take me away to live with a pack of werewolves?" She asked, clarifying. He nodded, seeming to be impatient. "But what would they do to Papa? I don't want him getting caught up in the repercussions." She said, earning a strange look from the man standing before her. "What? Have I said something?" She asked. He giggled and tilted his head. "You are a curious one. Instead of running at the sight of me like your father wanted to, you seemed intrigued. Instead of flat-out refusing to live with a pack of werewolves, you thought about never having to live here again. Instead of balking, screaming or being terrified of my price, your concern was how to do it. I wondered if the man is truly the monster your father claims. But it seems he is, since you haven't thought about your own feelings at killing him. Just the technicalities that would prevent you from doing so. And you're the first person in three centuries to actually clarify the terms of the agreement, on top of making sure the only person you care about here at the castle comes to no harm. Either you are as good as everyone says, and truly hate this man, or your goodness is a front and you just want an excuse to kill someone. Either way, you intrigue me." He said, circling her as he went through his monologue. "Rest assured, dearie, that your father will come to no harm because of your actions." He finished, before walking past her into her bedroom. "I was serious, though, when I said your hair would have to be cut. It makes it easier for the... transition." He said, waving a hand.

Two things happened at once. A pair of garden sheers appeared in his hand and her looking glass had fixed itself. Or maybe he fixed it with his magic. Kellan's eyes widened as she slowly walked over to stand in front of her mirror. He held out the shears to her and she gently sat down on the bench in front of the mirror. "Once you cut your hair, I'll take that as an affirmative answer to the deal being struck. No going back after this, dearie." He warned, taking a small step back to watch. As he watched her face, he noted all the signs of warring thoughts in her mind. Several emotions flicked across her face. Sadness, anger as her eyes caught her cut, hurt, betrayal, and finally, determination. A small almost-smile ghosted his lips as she raised the shears and grabbed a large lock of her hair. She held it out, then with a breath (probably to bolster herself), she cut the locks away with a determination set in her jaw that almost made the man standing behind her gasp. He had never seen such courage or determination in a woman. Hell, he had only seen that kind of determination in a man, and that man was just a boy at the time. He shook his head to get rid of the dark thought that plagued his mind and watched with a morbid fascination as this woman cut her hair. She left it just long enough to still be considered a woman, and with a final snip, her haircut was done. "There. It's done." She said, more to herself.

He snapped his fingers and the hair that had been cut off appeared in his hand with a tight band around it. "I'll be keeping this. As a souvenir of sorts." He said, blinking when she shrugged. "Fine. What use is it to me anymore?" She asked, receiving an actual laugh. "Too right, dearie. Now, for my end of the bargain." He said, before walking over to her. "Stand up." He said, nodding when she did so. She stepped away from the bench and turned to face him. "I'll have to work some magic on you in order to change you to what you need to be." He warned, before moving his hands over her body - but not touching her. She felt an odd sensation starting in her stomach and slowly working its way outward in a circle. She felt her muscles getting bigger - but not noticeably - and stronger. She felt herself get just a few inches taller, and her hands elongating. She looked at her hands and noticed her usually well-maintained finger nails were growing longer and thicker. The same thing happened with her hair. It grew several inches longer and several times thicker. As she watched her mirror in fascination, her cheekbones became slightly more pronounced and her jaw where it was clamped shut looked like it became stronger. She watched as the last of her baby fat disappeared off her body and was replaced by subtle abs under her dress. Her chest seemed to get incrementally bigger as well, and her legs felt like they got stronger. A lot stronger. But only in lean muscle. She wasn't going to bulk up like a man.

"There. Now you have all the aspects of being a werewolf, with none of the nasty side effects." He said, giggling and stepping back a pace. Kellan stared at herself in mirror. "I look so different! I can barely recognize myself!" She exclaimed, her hands going up to touch her face, hair, and stomach. The man giggled. "Indeed, dearie. What I've done is change you physically into what you'll look like once the curse is bestowed upon you. No matter. I do, however, have one last question." He asked, his eyes once again trailing over the wound on her cheek. "Would you like me to heal that for you?" He asked, gesturing to the aforementioned cut. Kellan's eyebrows knitted together as she thought. "Why would you do that?" She asked, knowing this man must have a price - even for something so trivial. The man giggled, and bowed low to her. "Think of it as a betrothal gift. Wouldn't want your future husband to think you ugly, do you?" He asked, playing on her vain side. All girls worried about their looks... didn't they? At the mention of the ceremony tomorrow, Kellan's eyes darkened. "Thank you, but no. I'd much rather keep this scar as a reminder of not only what I'm going to do tomorrow, but why." She said, her chin lifting ever-so-slightly in defiance.

The man gave another bow and started for the balcony. "As you wish, dearie. I shall see you up here in your sitting rooms tomorrow after everything is done." He said, then turned to leave. "Wait!" Kellan said, her hand reaching out as if to stop him. "What is your name? I've only ever heard you be called The Dark One. Is there something else I can use to call you?" She asked, receiving yet another very strange look. "Curiouser and curiouser, dearie." He said, before giving a very elaborate giggle and bow. "You may call me Rumplestiltskin." Before he could straighten up, he glanced one more time at her before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"What an unusual name." Kelllan muttered to herself, staring out on her balcony for a little while longer. Shaking her head to clear the thoughts of the very strange man, she turned and began to get ready for bed.

After all, tomorrow was a very big day.

* * *

_**A/N: This one was definitely longer than the first chapter, and I'm going to try and make them progressively so. **_

_**-SS09**_


	3. Deliver Us From Evil

_**Disclaimer: I do not own ABC, Once Upon A Time, or Robert Carlyle (sad day...) **_

_**Anything you may recognize is not my own.**_

* * *

**Chapter Three: Deliver Us From Evil**

Rumpelstiltskin paced in his study. He was dressed in his usual attire - minus the cloak. He was very fond of his leather boots and pants, and he didn't know what he'd do without his dragon-skin vest. Aside from all of his trophies that he had on display around the massive castle, his clothes were truly the one thing that he held very dear.

As he paced, his eyes landed on the long dirty-blonde locks of hair that were tied up and sitting on one of the little tables. His lips turned into an almost-smile as he remembered watching Kellan cut them off as if she never cared for them in the first place. His mind went back eight years as he remembered why this little slip of a girl was important.

_It was a dark, rainy night. He had just been summoned to help some woman save her child. The woman, he learned, had the gift of sight. She couldn't see everything that happened in the future - just things that were close to her family. She knew she was going to die soon, and she knew that in eight years' time her daughter would be married off to a horrible man. Her dreams had told her that if her daughter chose to stay with the man, she would certainly be killed by his hand for something she either said or did. She didn't want that for her only child. So she had summoned The Dark One. _

_Rumpelstiltskin had just arrived at her castle, after being summoned, and stood looking at the tall woman. She was beautiful, yes, but The Dark One never cared for such things. All he wanted was to make deals that always turned out in his favor. He giggled when she asked for his help. Of course he could help her. But what price was she willing to pay? She had told him that she would give anything to make sure her daughter never married the man in her dreams. The price ended up being that she would allow Rumpelstiltskin to keep her daughter as a body guard of sorts. They both knew that he certainly didn't need one, but he had mentioned that he would like the company. And, as he could see into the future as well, he knew that her daughter's intimidating looks would go marvelously with what he had planned. _

_So he agreed. _

_He never knew when it was that the good Lady Catherine had actually passed away. He just knew that it was from the Plague, and that nearly everyone in the vicinity of the castle - and some who traveled great distances - had shown up for the funeral. Being invested in his end of the bargain, he had also shown up. It was then that he first noticed the child that wept in her father's arms. She was still just a child - younger than his Bae had been. But he could see the promise of beauty and strength in her slight figure. _

_Since that moment, he had always popped in and watched from afar as the girl grew up. Two short years after her mother had passed, her father remarried. The woman was as evil as they came, but she did end up making the lands and villages under her control prosper. A smart businesswoman, if ever there was one. _

_As the years passed, Rumplestiltskin noticed that the little girl he saw at the funeral was getting stronger - both physically and mentally. She excelled in all her teachings, took her stepmother's cruel words with a grain of salt, and grew up to be a very promising aspect. But he knew that it was only a matter of time until she finally stopped being pushed around like a dog by her stepmother._

And oh, what a glorious sight that was.

He still smirked at the thought of her flat-out refusing to marry Sir Whatever-his-name-was and running off her to rooms. He knew where she was headed - he had created that perfect little grotto for her so that she would feel safe in the forest. He wanted her transition to be as comfortable as possible. As everyone was running around like mad, he had disappeared to the edge of the forest to watch the girl scale the side of the castle and run towards him. He smirked. She wasn't even out of breath. She was definitely very strong. And smart: he had watched as she escaped the searching party and made sure they were gone before continuing her journey to the grotto.

That night, he called on an old friend. He talked with the leader of his 'pack' and told him of the promising girl. Then watched as he and his two Betas investigated her. Certain that they wouldn't harm her, Rumpelstiltskin left and awaited when her father would summon him.

That meeting had gone exceptionally well. The girl - Kellan, he reminded himself - had continuously intrigued him. She didn't scream or try to run from him when he showed himself. No, she had looked at him with open curiosity. And when they were talking alone in her bedroom, she never once shied away or flat-out refuse him. She was a hell of a lot smarter than he initially gave her credit for. And when she cut off her hair, he just had to watch. He had always known women to be very vain and shallow - never once even thinking of cutting their 'beautiful' hair. But she had done it without even blinking.

And today was the day that everything fell into place. It was the morning of the betrothal ceremony, and he wouldn't miss it for the world. With one last glance at her fallen locks, he snapped his fingers and disappeared out of his castle.

* * *

Back at Kellan's castle, things were in an uproar. Lady Selene had walked in to Kellan's rooms and screamed at the sight of her hair. "How could you? On the day that we're to give you away! You ungrateful little wench!" She had screamed, wrenching Kellan by what little hair she had left from her bed. "You'd better hope that Sir Carlyle still finds you attractive, because you are no longer beautiful!" She yelled, before ordering Granny to get her fixed up for the day.

Kellan smirked to herself. Nothing brought more pleasure to the thought of what she was going to do in a few hours' time than seeing the look of horror on her stepmother's face. Granny, however, was a little more perceptive. "You've changed, child. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you look more like my daughter, Rose. And she's not quite as human as you may think." The old woman said, her hands on her hips. "Granny? Are you telling me your daughter is a child of the moon?" Kellan asked, receiving a gasp from the maid. "So it is true. You did get bitten! Oh my dear child!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around the blonde. "No, Granny. The Dark One changed me. Just for today. I have to do something... something that you wouldn't approve of, but in order to do that, I needed more strength." Kellan said, trying to explain what had happened. "What in heaven's name do you mean? You can't turn without being bitten!" She said, knowing from first-hand experience. "No, Granny. I'm not one of them. The Dark One changed my human features so that I'm strong and agile like them. I'm not going to turn at the full moon tonight. I promise." Kellan said, hoping she was right.

"Well, I'm severely disappointed that you dealt with him at all, but I should be grateful that he didn't fully turn you in to one of them." The maid said, before getting Kellan ready for the day. The dress she pulled out was different than all the others. It was tighter at the waist and showed more cleavage, and the sleeves were almost non-existent. Of course, it was uncomfortable, but with her new body, it was almost bearable. After dressing her, Granny played around a little with Kellan's hair so that it fell in a more natural way. "Let me add just a few touches here and there and you'll be finished." She said, taking the shears and barely trimming a few places. "There. Now your hair looks like it had been cut ages ago, not last night." She said, stepping back and smiling tightly. There was no way the old maid would approve of what was taking place - her own daughter was a child of the moon and she knew how dangerous they can be. But at least she could send this young lass away with style.

As Granny pondered over Kellan's dealings, a small knock sounded at the door. "Kellan? Are you in there?" Her father's voice asked, hoping. "Yes Papa. I'm here. Come in." She said, standing up and awaiting his entrance. The moment he entered, he stopped. "What happened to your beautiful hair?" He asked, his hands going up to touch her head as if he didn't believe what he was seeing. Kellan shrugged awkwardly as she tried to find the words to both satisfy her father and keep her promise to Rumpelstiltskin. "You remember what we talked about last night. This was me telling him that I accepted his terms." She said, watching as comprehension dawned on her father's face. "You... you accepted? After what we've talked about? Well, I hope his price wasn't too steep." Her father said, before turning and walking out. She knew he was angry, but she couldn't bring herself to care. The deal had already been struck.

Giving Granny a smile, hopefully an encouraging one, Kellan walked out of her room for the second-to-last time.

As Kellan made her way down to the courtroom where she would be thrown in to the waiting arms of Sir Carlyle, she mentally steeled herself. She was going to do it. She was going to kill that bastard if it was the last thing she did. Nearing the courtroom, the blonde overheard one of the servants talking to someone. "Now, if you can get this knife into his hand before the ceremony, he'll be able to kill her while everyone's back is turned. Once that ugly deed is done, I'll kill my ever-loving husband and be free to rule as I see fit. After a few months of grieving, Carlyle and I will be wed and our kingdoms all the stronger for the unity. Now go. And don't be late!" The voice said, receiving a nod from the maid. Kellan couldn't see the face of the person who spoke, but knew exactly who it was by the sound of her voice. Ducking into a corner where she couldn't be seen, she let her anger surge forth. That evil woman was going to kill her father! She couldn't stand to see that. No... What she was going to do would be save her father and her lands by this evil plot.

After gathering her resolve, Kellan continued on to the courtroom. The moment she entered, everyone stopped as if frozen. A few cries and gasps were heard throughout the crowd, but the girl held her head high. She wasn't going to be cowed by all these stuck-up snobs who couldn't see past the end of their noses. Sir Carlyle had looked at her with disgust when he saw her hair, and she smiled sweetly at him. "I am sorry for our misunderstanding yesterday." She said, her smile growing when his eyes glanced down to her cheek. "I assure you it will never happen again." She finished, giving the man a curtsy. He smirked and bowed, never taking his eyes off her. "That is very nice to know, my dear. I shall rest easy at night knowing that you will be safe and that your hair will be growing back soon." He said, though Kellan noted the falseness in his voice. "Shall we?" He asked, offering his arm. They were to have a grand feast for everyone before the actual announcement of the betrothal.

Kellan graced him with a beautiful smile and took his arm. "Certainly." She said, letting him walk her to the table. Everyone ate in relative silence, but she could hear and smell things that no one else in the room could. Of course her senses had become sharper. What was it that Rumpelstiltskin had said? All of the changes, none of the side-effects. She smirked to herself knowing that two people would be dying today. Not just one. As she ate, she could hear the slight hammering of everyone's heartbeats. Two hearts, in particular, were beating faster than everyone else's. She gave herself three guesses as to whom they belonged. Her dearest stepmother and her betrothed.

After the dinner, everyone was preparing for the announcement ceremony. Kellan's eyes scanned the crowd as she stood next to Sir Carlyle. She was searching for one face in particular, and her lips formed a slight frown when she couldn't find him. Then, as if he could read her mind, Rumpelstiltskin stepped out from the shadows in the back and gave her a very slight bow. Her lips lifted into a smirk as her stepmother began talking.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all so very much for coming out to this once-in-a-lifetime event. Our very own Kellan has decided to accept the hand of Sir Carlyle." She paused as everyone cheered and clapped. As they died down, Kellan could hear her stepmother's and her betrothed's hearts beat faster. It was about to happen. "And so, without further ado, I present to you the future Mr. and Mrs. Sir Carlyle." Her stepmother said. But before Carlyle could turn and do his deed, everyone in the crowd screamed. "I'm blind!" "I can't see!" And other such exclamations were shouted.

At that moment, Kellan turned around to see her stepmother lunging toward her father. So she could still see. Good. "Excuse me. But I believe killing my father would be severely detrimental to your health." She said, whipping her stepmother around to face her. The knife Selene held was raised high and it came slashing down on Kellan's upper arm. Letting out a hiss of pain, Kellan grabbed the woman's head and twisted. She didn't realize she had put so much force in to the twist that her stepmother's head spun a full 180 degrees. Her father shouted in surprise and backed away, and at first Kellan thought he was terrified of her. Then she heard panting from behind her and whirled around. Carlyle was standing there, his eyes looking mad, with another knife raised. But she knew this fight was going to be a lot harder. He was skilled in fighting and killing. Just as Kellan figured that out, he lunged. Gasping slightly, she dove backward and rolled, getting away from his deadly skill.

As she stood back up, she saw that a few people were coming out of their blindness. Her moment of stealth had passed. She quickly ran at Carlyle and tackled him to the ground, smiling inwardly when she heard his gasp of surprise. She took that moment to wrench the blade from his hand, puzzling momentarily at the blood that was already on it, and slicing his throat. Without waiting to see if he truly died, she tossed the knife away and began to run back to her rooms.

The moment she got there, she saw Rumpelstiltskin sitting by the fire in her sitting room. "About time. I was starting to worry that you've gone back on our deal." He said, standing up and glancing at her. "No way. I just had to add another to the list of people I was supposed to get rid of." She said, smirking slightly as she walked back to her bedroom. She closed the door over and looked in the mirror. Her eyes were wide and greener than they were that morning. Her hair was disheveled and her cheeks were flushed with the exertion of killing not just one person, but two people. She thought that she had never felt more alive.

It was only when she stripped herself of her dress that she noticed the blood. "Wha...?" She thought, before a wave of dizziness passed over her. She quickly sat down on her bed and tried to pinpoint where the blood was coming from. When she saw the stab wound on her side, she remembered the bloody knife in Carlyle's hand. So he had gotten to her. Shaking her head, she quickly wrapped her side with strips of fabric from the dress she took off, and changed into her leather pants and loose shirt. Rumpelstiltskin walked in as she was donning her boots. "I must say, I think I like you better in pants than that thing they tried to pass off as a dress, dearie." He remarked, ending with a slight giggle. She shot him a look and stood up. "Let me just wrap this cut on my arm and we can leave." She said, reaching for the dress for more fabric. "No time, dearie. We must be leaving. Hold tight!" He said, before grabbing her and pulling her to him. As his arms circled her, she felt a weird sensation.

It was as if she had turned to either a liquid or smoke, or a combination thereof. She certainly didn't feel solid. Before she could even blink, the sensation stopped and he had released her. "Now, we wait." He said, walking away from her to sit on top of a large boulder. Wait a second... I know this boulder... she thought, before looking around her. She laughed when she realized where they were. "I thought I was the only one who knew about this place." She said, earning a giggle from The Dark One. "Of course not, dearie. I am The Dark One. I know all. I see all." He said, with a flourish of his hand and a tilt of his head. She shook her own head. "Wait for what?" She asked, remembering his comment.

"For our guests."


	4. Children of the Night

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time, ABC, or Robert Carlyle.**_

_**Anything you may recognize is not my own.** _

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**Chapter Four: Children of the Night**

It didn't take very long after night fell for their 'guests' to arrive. As soon as the moon was full and high in the sky, Kellan heard the howling. She guessed that there were about five, and began to get nervous. "Don't stress yourself, dearie. They'll not harm you for as long as I'm around." Rumpelstiltskin had said. She gave him a tight smile and nodded. "It's just unnerving. I've never met a whole pack of wolves before - let alone wolves that are humans during the day." She said, receiving a giggle. She normally would have thought his giggles were annoying, but she found them oddly comforting in the black of the night.

The bushes around the grotto began to move and Kellan stood straighter. She didn't want to show fear, but knew that they would smell it on her anyway. She could smell it on herself. Before she could react, five huge wolves walked into the clearing from different points. She took a few steps closer to The Dark One without realizing it as they crept closer. The biggest one was easily the size of a bear. And not a small one, either. He was huge. His fur was a very dark brown, with white feet. His eyes were a dark blue and seemed to hold more intelligence than she thought a mere beast would. She guess that if he were a puppy, he would have been adorable. She gasped and blinked up at the wolf as he moved a few inches closer to her and froze. As she stood still, he sniffed her and snorted before turning to look at Rumpelstiltskin. "He tells me that he does indeed remember you from the other night." Rumpel said, hopping down from his perch. "You intrigue him. Like I said last night: everyone they have ever come across had woken up by their mere presence. Except you." He said, giving her another strange look. "This is Aiden. He is the pack leader. He tells me that he would speak to you in person, except that he can't." The Dark One said, giving yet another giggle. He danced around the five wolves, introducing them. She tried to keep track of them. The two flanking Aiden were roughly the same size, but one was decidedly leaner than the other. She knew from experience that the leaner one was a female. "This is Trystan and that is Anita. These two are the Beta's of the pack." Rumpel said, confirming her thoughts. Trystan, the wolf on the right, was sandy brown with a black underbelly. Anita, the leaner wolf, was pitch-black with nearly ice-blue eyes. Those eyes looked familiar to her somehow, and she gasped with recognition. "You're Granny's daughter, aren't you?" Kellan asked, receiving a snarl from the pack.

Kellan immediately backtracked. "No! I didn't mean to offend you! She was my maid. She practically raised me." She said, trying to diffuse the tension that seemed to center around Rose. Her words seemed to have pacified the wolf as her hackles slowly lowered. "Smooth one, dearie. You almost had your throat ripped out. Anita here loves her mother to death and would hate if anything happened to the woman." Rumpel said, watching the interaction with glee. He didn't know that Kellan was already familiar with someone from the pack. This would go a lot smoother than he originally thought. "No! I love that woman dearly! I would never hurt her! Or give away your secret!" Kellan said, her hand reaching out to Anita as if to comfort her. Aiden, the leader, calmly stepped between the two women and looked at Rumpel. "He tells me that maybe it would be better for this conversation in the morning. We don't want any misunderstandings going on." Rumpel told Kellan, looking over at Aiden. "Oh. Okay. What about the other two?" Kellan asked, letting the topic drop for now. She would also much rather speak to the woman in person.

"The white wolf with the green eyes is Jakob. He's the newest. And this lovely blonde wolf with the brown eyes here is Riley." Rumpel said, reaching out and patting the large creature between the ears. Kellan didn't have to be a mind reader to tell that Riley didn't like being touched by The Dark One. Her hackles had risen and only lowered when Rumpel moved away from her. "And everyone, this is Lady Kellan of the Midlands." He said, bowing as if he were presenting a princess instead of a minor noble. She noted that he also used the title her stepmother should have used two days ago. She sent a mental 'thank you' to him, not knowing if he could read minds or not. But nonetheless.

With a clap of his hands, Rumpelstiltskin danced over to Kellan. "Now that the introductions have been made, I must take my leave. You'll be living with these friends of mine for the foreseeable future." He said to Kellan, who opened her mouth to speak. "Don't worry, dearie. I told you. They're safe." He said, holding up a finger to silence her. She shut her mouth and nodded. She wasn't sure that she would live through the night, but at the same time she was thankful for his help. "They'll take you back to their den, but I will need to put a sleeping charm on you for them to feel safe enough. They don't trust that you won't run." He said, eying her as if he didn't trust her not to run either. "How long will I be asleep?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing in worry. "Not long. Maybe eight or nine hours. Enough time so that when you wake up, it will be daylight and you will be able to actually meet your companions here." Rumpel assured her. Kellan bit her lip in thought as she looked over the five wolves and lone man staring at her. Her eyes landed on Rose and her mind was made up. If Granny was such a kind person, surely she could trust her daughter. "Alright." She said, giving a nod to Rumpelstiltskin. He giggled like a madman before waving his hand over her face. "Sweet dreams!" He said, before everything in Kellan's mind went black.

As she woke, Kellan's first thought was that everything that had happened had been a dream. She felt the furs that surrounded her and immediately thought she was back at the castle. It wasn't until she stretched and felt her hair that she realized that it wasn't a dream. Everything came flooding back to her in one moment and she sat up with a gasp.

"It's about time, sleepy-head. Good morning! You've been asleep for nearly twelve hours. It's almost noon." A cheery-sounding voice said from somewhere behind the blonde. She turned sharply and saw a woman with nearly white-blonde hair. Kellan's eyebrows knitted together as she tried to figure out who this person was. It wasn't until she saw the brown eyes that she realized - "You're... Riley, right?" She asked, hoping she was correct in matching the wolf to the woman. She was relieved when she was answered with a large, brilliant smile. "Very perceptive! I was afraid we'd have to make our introductions all over again!" Riley said, before laughing slightly. "I'll admit. You had us all very worried there for a moment. We weren't quite sure what The Dark One's intentions were when he brought you to us. But we've had a long talk with him last night and he assured us that you would be a vital part of our pack." She said, walking over to place a tray on the bed that Kellan was sitting on. "But more of that later. You must be hungry." She said, before turning around and walking out of the room.

It was then that Kellan took in her surroundings. She wasn't in a room as much as she was in a cave with a drapery hanging down for a door. So they were underground. And her 'bed' was just a bunch of furs layered on top of each other. There were no furnishings on the wall, and only a single chair sitting next to a smallish table. Upon her searching of the room, Kellan's eyes finally drifted back to the tray sitting next to her. There were everyday breakfast items sitting on a plate, next to a glass of water. She almost laughed out loud. What was she expecting? Raw meat and a bowl of water?

Shaking her head, she grabbed the tray and began to eat. She realized that she was indeed very, very hungry. She took only a few minutes to completely clear her plate and drink the entire cup of water. After having done so, she blinked. She had never eaten anything that quickly in her life. But then, there was no etiquette to follow here. She didn't have to cut everything up then begin to eat. She didn't have to daintily sip her cup. She could enjoy the food!

Kellan was still smiling with that realization as she got off the bed and stretched. As she stretched, she remembered how Carlyle had stabbed her and quickly lifted her shirt. The bandages were gone and there was not a scratch in sight. Maybe she had been healed? This question proved correct as she checked her arm where her stepmother had cut her as well. That scratch was also gone.

She realized that her boots had been taken off sometime in the night. Figuring it was one of the girls that she had met, either Rose or Riley, and bent to put them back on. Once she was properly dressed, she exited her 'room' and managed to find her way to the center of the den. She froze upon entering. There were a lot more people here than she thought. She thought that the pack was only made up of the five wolves she met. It looked more like there was nearly fifteen people milling about. Of course, she couldn't say for certain that they were all werewolves. There were maybe two or three that didn't have the harsh features that she did last night. As if suddenly remembering that Rumpelstiltskin had told her his changes would only be temporary, she brought her hands to her face. Sure enough, she knew that the changes had worn off. Not just from her hands, but from her entire body.

She couldn't help but to feel slightly disappointed.

As she thought about how nice it felt to have the kind of power that she had last night, Riley spied her and walked over. "Hey! Glad to see you're up and out on your own. Aiden was afraid we'd have to come in there and drag you out." She said, rolling her eyes slightly. "As if. You'd need two people with you to do that kind of work. You just aren't strong enough. Even for this slip of a girl." A man's voice said, with a note of laughter. Kellan wasn't sure if she should laugh or be offended. The man walked up and stuck his hand out. "Glad to see you're up. You probably remember me from last night." He said, and Kellan looked into his eyes. "You're... Aiden, right? The pack leader?" She asked, taking his hand and shaking it. "Damn, Riley. You were right. She is a quick one." Aiden said, nodding his approval. "How can you tell, if you don't mind me asking?" He asked, his head tilting slightly. "Your eyes. The same happened with Riley. And your hair. Riley's wolf hair is darker than her normal hair. And so, if I put darker hair on you, and add in your eyes, I get the Alpha that was looking at me last night." Kellan said, shrugging. She figured it was a simple thing. She heard several low whistles of surprise from around her. Looking around, she saw that they had become the center of attention. Blushing slightly, she turned back to Aiden. "Don't mind them. We're all very impressed with that. One of the 'cool' things about being one of us is that your fur gets darker than your hair. It's to help prevent people from recognizing you." He told her. She nodded and thought for a second. "But wait. If your fur gets darker, how come there was a white wolf last night?" She asked, confused. Everyone in the den laughed loudly. "Ah. You remember our little conundrum." Aiden said, shaking his head with a smile on his face. "Jakob! Come here for a sec!" He called over his shoulder. Kellan was expecting someone who was either bald or had literally translucent hair. When 'Jakob' walked over, however, she gasped.

He was tall, about 6'5", and was easily the biggest guy in the room. That is not what made Kellan gasp, however. His skin was a deep ebony that seemed beautiful to Kellan's eyes. She had met people with his skin tone before, but none had the green eyes that looked at her now. "Name's Jakob!" He said brightly, sticking his hand out for her to shake. As she did, he flashed her a blinding smile of straight, unnaturally white teeth. "Whoa..." She said, then immediately regretted it. "I... I mean... I'm sorry. I'm an idiot." She said, blushing furiously at her loose lips. Everyone laughed. "Not to worry. I get that a lot." Jakob said, sending her a wink before walking back over to the group he was with before.

Kellan, Aiden and Riley talked for a few more moments about their 'pack'. Aiden seemed to be waiting for something, as he kept glancing at the main entrance. As if on cue, two more people walked in and Aiden's face looked relieved. "Anita! Trystan!" He called, waving them over. As they grew closer, Kellan could see the similarities between Anita and Granny. They both had the same bright eyes. Almost ice-blue. They walked up to their Alpha and nodded their heads in greeting. "Everything is set for tonight, Aiden." Trystan said. Anita nodded her agreement before looking over at Kellan. "Do you promise that my mother is safe?" She asked, turning her full attention on the blonde. Kellan nodded quickly. "She raised me from the time I was born. She was the only person I could confide in after my mother passed away. She spoke of you during our last conversation." She said, receiving a disbelieving look. "There's no way. She hated me for what I've chosen to become." Anita said quietly. Kellan shook her head. "Not the way she spoke about you. I think she hated that she couldn't change you back. She's too loving to give up on her own daughter." Kellan disagreed, reaching out to Anita and resting her hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Thank you." Anita said, flashing Kellan a small smile.

Aiden cleared his throat and looked at Kellan. "Now, there's a few more hours of sunlight left before we need to do something with you. Why don't you take that time and get to know people?" He asked, before excusing himself and disappearing into one of the back rooms. Kellan looked around, noticing that the other three people left her to her own devices as well.

This was going to be hard.

Mustering up her courage, she walked to the first small group of people. She noticed that they all seemed to enjoy her curiosity and gladly answered any questions she had. No, they didn't kill for fun. Yes, they all had lives outside the pack, but they chose to stay of their own accord. No, they weren't mindless killing machines... etc. Kellan found herself liking these people more and more. As the day grew on, she found herself in the middle of everyone's attentions. She had answered as many questions as possible. Did she kill someone already? Was she an orphan who ran away and begged The Dark One to change her life? How old was she?

This last question made Kellan laugh loudly.

"I've just forgot! Today is my birthday!" She said, when everyone was shooting her strange looks. Comprehension dawned on everyone's face as they all cheered. "The present you'll get from us will be one you'll never forget." Anita said, walking up and hugging Kellan. "Thank you all. I know I'm very new to everything, and I don't deserve half of the kindness you're showing me. I'm very grateful." She said earnestly. Everyone waved her off. "You're going to be a great addition!" They all chorused.

As night drew closer, Kellan found herself getting nervous. What was it that they wanted her to do with them? She couldn't exactly go out and hunt with them. And this was the last night of the full moon.

While she pondered, she didn't hear Aiden walk up to her. "Kellan? We're ready for you now." He said, placing his hand on the small of her back and leading her outside. When she got there, she gasped in surprise. There were candles everywhere, but mostly concentrated in a circle just outside of the entrance. "Go sit in that circle." He said, pushing her slightly. She obeyed, wondering why she had to do such a thing. She lowered herself to a sitting position once she reached the middle of the circle and watched as everyone filed outside and sat around her. They all gave her reassuring smiles and she felt a little better about the whole thing.

Anita and Trystan walked up to the circle, standing in front of everyone as they began their speech. "Tonight, as we all know, is the last night of the full moon. It is the last night this month that we change unwillingly. But that doesn't mean we can't keep ourselves when we do change." Anita said, as Aiden walked up behind her in his wolf form. "We have all been bitten by a werewolf, and when we started out in this new life, we didn't know who we were. We were mindless creatures searching for something to kill." Trystan added. "But thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of Aiden, we found ourselves once more. Both in human form, and wolf. It is on this night that we add a new member to our pack." Trystan said, before stepping away to let Anita finish the speech. "Kellan, you will be bitten by Aiden. The bite will hurt, but that pain will ground you through the transformation. It will keep you steady as your body and your mind changes." She said, looking at the girl in the circle of candles. "Tonight's ceremony is special because we have never witnessed the transformation as a group. We all came to Aiden, or he came to us, after we had already been bitten. He saved us from the monsters we thought we were." She said, speaking to the group now. "Kellan will be the first person to change amongst witnesses, and it is with our help that she will never have to wander the night alone. We will help her find herself the moment her body has transformed." As she spoke, the moon appeared from behind a few clouds and there was a shift in the pack. Before Kellan's eyes, everyone got bigger, hairier, and transformed. Some smiled at her with the last remnants of their facial features, and before she could blink, the transformation was complete. Now she was looking at a large pack of wolves, who were sitting and looking at her in return. She gave a shaky smile and turned her attention back to Anita. "Kellan, when you become a wolf, you will know nothing except the hunt. You will hear nothing but the animals around us. You will see nothing but victims. You will taste nothing but blood. You will smell nothing but food. And you will feel nothing but rage. After Aiden bites you, and once you are a wolf, we can communicate with you telepathically. Listen for our voices. We will not abandon you." She said, stepping back as her body began to change.

Kellan gave a hearty sigh and looked to Aiden. He was watching her. She gave a slight nod and stuck her hand out. She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain of sharp teeth, but felt his nose push her hand away. "He won't bite your hand, dearie. It's too obvious. He'll bite your ankle." She heard from the trees. Her head snapped to the sound, and as she searched for the man who belonged to the voice. As she searched, she felt the bite right where he said it was going to be. It hurt.

A lot.

As the venom surged through her, Kellan clamped her mouth shut to prevent herself from screaming. She could feel the venom changing her as it made its way up her leg, down the other leg, and up through her center. Trying to remember Anita's words to let the pain of the bite ground her, she focused on that one point in her ankle. She could faintly feel the blood dripping down onto the earth and tried to keep that in her mind's eye. When the venom reached her neck, face and head, it was all she could do not to collapse from the pain. Then the changes began to happen. She felt her bones popping and shifting. She itched all over. Her face became full of pain as the jaw she clamped shut tried to elongate itself. She knew she had to relax her jaw, but didn't want to scream. But the pain became too much to bear and she relented. The scream that ripped from her throat was animalistic, and was cut short. It turned into something more like a howl. A very loud howl.

When the transformation had finished, the pack closed off all escape routes from the circle. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder and braced themselves for a fight. _'Listen for our voices... Listen for our voices... Listen for our voices...'_ Aiden had began chanting. Everyone else picked up the chant and soon Kellan's mind was filled with those four words. She didn't know what it was, only that she needed to kill it in order for it to stop. She snarled and opened her eyes. The snarl turned to a sharp cry of surprise. She was surrounded by her own kind, but they didn't look friendly. There was no way she'd get out of this alive. But she had to try.

She lunged at the nearest wolf, his fur was all white, and tackled him. She bit anywhere she could, and it only took a second before he was fighting back. _'Kellan! Snap out of it! It's me! Jakob!'_ She heard in her head. _Who was Kellan? Who was Jakob? 'You! You're Kellan! Come back to us!'_ She heard. It made her jump off the white wolf and shake her head. What was going on? Where was she? She faintly recalled faces that went with the voices in her head. She saw ebony skin, a blinding white smile with straight teeth. She heard laughter and humans talking. She smelled a faint scent of sandalwood and something else that was masculine. She tasted the breakfast pastries that she had... when? When did she have human food? She felt skin where her fur should have been. She remember very short, blonde hair and vivid green eyes. She remembered someone calling her name as if to wake her from a dream. "Kellan... Kellan... Wake up, my little bear..." Someone she loved used to call her that...

Papa!

Suddenly everything came back at once. She remembered growing up. She remembered who she was, and why she was out in the woods. She remembered the deal she had struck with The Dark One.

She remembered who she was!

Immediately, she sat down as all the information came flooding back to her. But sitting down felt... wrong, somehow. She looked down and yelped at her changed body. Her fur was a darker black than Anita's. That wasn't possible. She had blonde hair. Why was her fur black? She stood up and spun in a circle, trying to see her back and tail. As she did this, she heard laughter inside her head. She stopped, puzzled, and finally looked at everyone. _'Oh!'_ She thought, surprised to see everyone still watching her. They all began laughing louder, some of them barking and howling with amusement.

_'Don't mind them, Kellan. They're just surprised at you...'_ She heard, immediately knowing who the voice in her head belonged to. She turned to Aiden. _'Why are they surprised?'_ She wondered, her head tilting comically. "Because they've never seen someone calm down from the beast so quickly, dearie. And might I say, you're definitely different than the rest of them." She heard, whipping around to see Rumpel standing there. _'So you did come! I thought I heard your voice!'_ She thought, not knowing how he could read her mind. "Ah yes. Well, you see, you're an investment. I would hate to see one of my investments go badly." He said, giving a giggle. _'Kellan, you're absolutely perfect!'_ Gushed Riley as she bounded up to her. _'You have the cutest ears!'_ She said, barking happily. _'What do you mean?'_ Kellan asked, her head tilting once more. The others barked their laughter and Anita pushed a large looking glass toward the newest member. _'Look for yourself.'_ She said, and Kellan could hear a smile in her voice.

Kellan peered into the looking glass and would have gasped if she could. Her right ear flopped halfway like a puppy's would. But the other ear stayed straight up. She could see that her eyes were the same green that they were before, if not a bit greener. It was her face that almost made Kellan gasp. Although her body fur, from what she could see, was pitch black, her face was all white except around her eyes. Her cheek where Carlyle had cut her was a deep red-brown in a thin line. As if reminding her that she had indeed been hurt there. Once she got over her own face, Kellan turned so she could see her back. Along the spine, in a straight line, her hair was a little longer and stood up a bit. Throughout that 'mohawk' of fur, she could see reds, browns, white and blondes. She was truly unique.

As she remembered all the details of her transformation, she looked up suddenly at Jakob. _'Oh! Jakob! I'm so sorry!'_ She said, rushing over to him and sitting in front of him. He let out a bark of laughter. _'Don't worry about it. I'm always the first to get in to a fight like that. It's the fur. I stand out.'_ He said, shaking his head in laughter. She could see, however, that she did get a few bites and scratches in on him. _'Still! I hurt you! I'm so sorry!'_ She said, trying to circle him to see the extent of her damage. _'Actually, we were all very impressed with that display. Jakob here is the toughest fighter in the pack. And you were able to not only tackle him, but get hits on him and not earn a scratch yourself.'_ Aiden said, walking up and sitting next to Riley. _'I might have to make my scouting party six, instead of five.'_ He added as an afterthought. _'Speaking of. It's time to hunt. Kellan, you stick with Riley and Jakob. Everyone else, you know what to do.'_ He said, and Kellan could feel the power in his voice. She now understood why they called him Alpha. It was hard to resist that kind of power.

And so, Kellan joined the hunting parties as she got used to becoming a child of the night.


	5. Reflections

_**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from Once Upon A Time is not mine.**_

* * *

**Chapter Five: Reflections**

"Hey Kellan! Can you come help me with something?" Riley called, walking in to the den. It had been three years since Kellan had joined their pack, and Kellan had fit in marvelously. Since Kellan joined, they haven't had any other newcomers, but Riley didn't care. The people that were there now were all very close to each other. They were a true family, and hardly anyone got into a fight. Well, except Kellan and Jakob, that is. Riley smiled to herself as she thought back to the first fight they had.

_Kellan had been in the pack for almost a year. She learned everything very quickly, and had rapidly risen in the ranks. Aiden had taken notice of this, and kept her paired with Jakob. She and Jakob had risen to be Aiden's Betas, after Anita and Trystan stepped down. She was also one of their strongest. And she was only a pup, according to their standards. _

_Jakob had taken a liking to Kellan, but Kellan wasn't interested in his affections. She politely turned him down many times, both in human form and in wolf. When he didn't let up, she got angry. "Look, Jakob. I like you. Just not like that. I would really appreciate it if you could just back off and leave me alone." She had told him, rolling her eyes as he opened his mouth to object. "But Kellan! We'd make a great couple! I mean, we're the only two unique wolves in the pack, and we're the best fighters. Nothing would be able to stand in our way!" He insisted, grabbing her arm and forcing her to look at him. Kellan growled, but it was loud enough so that the entire pack had heard it. Everyone's heads turned to watch as the two squared off. "Let. Me. Go. Jakob." She warned, glaring at him. "No. I know you want me. Everyone can see it. Why can't you?" He asked, rolling his shoulders and making himself seem bigger. She wasn't intimidated. "If you don't let me go, I'm going to rip your hand off." She said, feeling her bones already starting to transform. She had become very used to transforming at will, but it was always quicker at night. Which had just fallen. Jakob laughed condescendingly and pulled her in to kiss her. As his lips came crashing down on hers, Kellan let out a snarl. She changed into her wolf form and glared at him, her hackles raised the highest anyone has ever seen. _

_Jakob laughed again before changing himself and they circled each other. _'You know you want me, Kellan. Just give in already...'_He told her, lunging playfully. Kellan wasn't having any of it. She jumped at him and tackled him to the ground, eliciting shouts and cheers from everyone standing around. It wasn't unusual to have a fight, but they were usually kept outside. Jakob realized that she meant business and didn't want to break anything inside their den. He quickly threw her off and bolted for the entrance. Kellan was quick to recover and was back on top of him the moment they reached outside. _

_Just as Rumpelstiltskin was about to knock. _

_He danced out of the way and threw the two wolves a glare. Honestly, they were more animal than they were human, with all their fighting... It was only then that he noticed the one person he came to check up on was one of the two fighting. _'Now **this** should be interesting...'_He thought, as he dodged their fighting once more. He quickly leapt up on to the nearest tree to watch._

_Kellan hadn't seen or heard The Dark One in her fury. She just wanted to rip Jakob apart. _'Come on, Kellan. You know I can whoop you. Don't do this to yourself...'_Jakob taunted, as they lunged at each other once more. They were now standing on their hind legs with their front paws hitting each other. Their jaws snapped shut with such force that some of the other pack members who came out to watch winced. It was as if two bears were fighting. There was snarling, barking, growling and a very occasional yelp. Their teeth shone in the moonlight as they tried to find purchase on one another. _

_Everyone was impressed that Kellan was holding her own against the best fighter in the pack. Rumpelstiltskin smirked with glee at this new development. He knew that, given enough time, Kellan would indeed best Jakob in a fight. As it was, he frowned when he saw Aiden come barreling into the fight. He knocked the two other wolves away from each other and stood between them. _**'Enough!'**_He told them, shooting both of them a growl. _'Kellan, you will be demoted if you can't keep a top on your temper. Jakob, same with you if you don't leave her alone...'_He said, an air of finality in his words. Both the wolves bowed their heads in shame. But Kellan was pleased to find that she wasn't panting as hard as Jakob was, even though they both sustained the same amount of injuries. Maybe she would be able to hold him off if it really came down to it..._

Riley snapped out of her reverie as Kellan walked up to her. "What's up?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. "Oh! Well, you know, tomorrow is Anita's birthday, and you know how her mother gets when she tries to visit her daughter. I was thinking maybe you could convince Granny of letting Red come stay with us for a couple of hours..." Riley said, trailing off as she saw the look in Kellan's eyes. She had only gone back to her castle once since she left, and she didn't know what awaited her there anymore. "Uhh... Sure. I don't think that would be too big an issue..." Kellan said, before nodding and walking into her room. She quickly packed a small bag of food and went to leave. "I'll be back by the morning." She said, giving Riley and Trystan a big smile. They returned it and Kellan walked out of the den.

"Not leaving the pack already, are you dearie?" She heard from above her. Smiling slightly, Kellan shook her head. "No. Relax. I'm just going to run an errand for Riley." She said, stopping and waiting for Rumpelstiltskin to jump down and join her. He had come every month around the time of the full moon, just to see how his 'investment' was doing. Or so he said. Once he was at her side, she began to walk. "You know, your cheek has healed quite nicely. The scar hasn't even marred your face too much." He remarked, giggling slightly. Kellan shot him a look. "I don't think it's ugly. I think of it as a reminder. Without the incidents that led to the scar, I wouldn't have needed your help, and therefore wouldn't be where I am today. I hope it never goes completely away." She said, a small wistful smile on her lips. Rumpelstiltskin shot her yet another strange look and cleared his throat. "Yes, well. I think I can look past it... for now." He said, knowing the jibe would get to her. She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Well, I hope my imperfections don't deter you too much. I rather like seeing you for our monthly walks." She said, glancing over at him. Rumple didn't know what to say to this. Sure, around every full moon he would visit her, under some pretense that he was either 'checking up on his investment', or coming to see Aiden about something trivial. He usually ended up just taking a long walk with Kellan. She didn't seem to mind, and he wouldn't stop even if she did. It was a ritual now, after three years.

He thought back to the night they started this weird ritual.

_It was the first full moon after Kellan had been transformed. She seemed to have adjusted well in the month that he had been away. He saw that her appearance had changed back to when he had altered it, and he found that she looked better this way. She kept her hair short, even after finding out that the other women tended to let their hair grow out. The length didn't really affect the fur, Rumple just wanted to see how far she would really go to change her fortunes. She had been furious with him at first, but eventually grew to like her hair short. _

_She had even cut it shorter. _

_It now matched her wolf form more accurately. She had a slight 'mo-hawk', and though it was a very odd haircut to have - especially for women, it suited her. _

_He had wanted to make sure her first full moon of not changing willingly would go smoothly. He didn't want any rough patches in his scheme. So he visited her. She didn't know he was there at first, and he was content to just watch her. But then the wind shifted and her head tilted to the side. As if she was either hearing or smelling something that wasn't there before. "I know you're there." She called out, not turning to face him. He giggled and dropped down from his tree branch. "Ah, so you've caught me." He said, with a flourish. Kellan smiled as she turned to face him. He saw that her cut, though still tender, was healing remarkably well. It was now more scar than cut. _

_"Did you miss me, dearie?" He asked, walking up and standing in front of her. She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh yes! Very much! I didn't know how much longer I could have survived without your charming wit and calm demeanor." She said sarcastically. He just smirked and gave a slight bow. "I'm only here to please." He said, before she started walking again. He danced his usual odd-step to catch up and walked next to her. "A lady like you shouldn't be out here all by herself. There are wolves in this forest." He remarked, earning a giggle from her. "Ah, Mr. Rumpelstiltskin. You see, it's the wolves who should be afraid of me." She remarked, a knowing glint in her eye. "Oh? And why might that be?" _

_"Because I'm a new breed of animal." _

_That comment made Rumpelstiltskin's breath stop for a second. He knew she was dangerous, but what exactly were they teaching her? Or was she truly meant to be a child of the moon? He didn't bother to think on that right now. _

_Kellan turned to him. "What about you? Why are you here?" She asked, tilting her head the way a puppy might. He glanced at her before flicking his hand up in the air. "I came to see your leader about some things that need to be discussed." He muttered vaguely. Kellan raised her eyebrow but did not press the issue. They walked on in silence. It wasn't completely uncomfortable, either. In fact, Rumple thought he could get used to this kind of quiet. _

_After a while, Kellan looked to the sky. "It's going to be dark soon. You know, tonight marks a full month since I've been with the pack." She said, as if he could forget that little bit of information. "You know what I think? I think you came back just to check on me." She said, looking at him and laughing. "Nah. I'm not that important." She said, waving her hand, as he was about to say something. He fell back in to the quiet. "Do I call you Rumpelstiltskin, or can I call you something else? It is a bit of a mouthful." She said, glancing at him. He thought for a second, with his finger on his chin. "Dearie, you may call me anything you like." He said finally. He didn't care what she called him. After all, this arrangement was only temporary. "Oh? I'll have to think of something then." She said, a slight warning tone in her voice. He knew she could come up with any sort of ridiculous name and he would have to go by it. At least, when it was just the two of them. _

_When the night began to fall, Kellan stopped their walk and turned to him. "This was very nice. I love being with the pack, but none of them could ever just... enjoy the quiet. They always had to be doing something that involved noise." She said, looking up at him. He shrugged nonchalantly and eyed her warily. "Could we do this again? Maybe next full moon?" She asked, her eyes betraying the hope she hid in her voice. Rumple didn't know what to say. He couldn't promise her, because something might come up, but he could try. "We'll see, dearie." He said, before flashing her a wink and vanishing. She sighed and turned to start home. If she hurried, she could make it there in time to change with everyone else. _

_She didn't see him watching her from the trees._

That night had been the first of many that he watched her. He had watched as she grew stronger, faster, and happier in general. He would sometimes see her running the forest by herself - always on the same path. Sometimes she would be in human form, sometimes she would be running with someone. He knew her daily ritual by heart after about five months of watching her. She would wake up with the sun, go for a run, catch something for lunch, walk back to the den, and then join the others for their nightly entertainment.

And she had never come up with another name for him.

On this particular day, as they were walking toward Kellan's old home, Rumpelstiltskin seemed to have remembered something. "Oh, dearie?" He asked, glancing over at his walking partner who was talking about something completely random. She stopped mid-sentence and looked at him. "Happy birthday." He said, giving her a very small smile. Kellan blinked at him. He had never wished her a happy birthday before. "Th- Thank you." She said smiling.

"Think nothing of it." He said dismissively. "So where are we going on this... errand?" He asked, changing the subject. "Oh. Anita's birthday is tomorrow, and she usually tries to see her daughter. But her mother won't let her. The thing is, her mother was my Granny back at the castle. They think I might be able to change her opinion of us." Kellan explained. Rumple nodded. "You know, I could get you there and back within an hour, instead of a day." He offered, a hint of a mischievous glint in his eye. Kellan thought about his offer. "But you never do anything without a price." She stated, receiving a high-pitched giggle. "Too right, dearie. But today, think of this as a birthday present. Both for you and that… Anita." He said, momentarily forgetting her name. Kellan laughed at this for a full minute. Rumple stared at her, incredulous. "Or, I could just rescind my offer and watch you walk the entire way…." He warned, his eyebrow rising at her. Kellan forced herself to calm down as she shook her head. "No! No, please. Just the way you said that sentence. I don't know why it was so funny." She pleaded, still giggling like mad. Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes and pulled her into his arms. "Hold tight." He said shortly, before transporting them to her castle. She gasped at the sensation and lost her balance when they arrived.

She hit the ground with a very unladylike 'Oomph!'

It was Rumple's turn to laugh. He giggled with mad joy at her predicament and only stopped at her glare. "Turnabout is fair play, dearie." He remarked, before reaching a hand to help her up. She growled slightly and batted his hand away before standing up by herself. After dusting herself off, she shot one last glare at him before looking up at her old home. She took a deep breath and let it out.

"Well, here goes nothing." She muttered, before opening the front doors.

The moment someone noticed her and Rumpelstiltskin walking in the doors, everyone was in an uproar. Guards were called, maids scattered to the wind, and all the noble that were present seemed to have nothing better to do than to shout at the two of them. Kellan walked by them all, her head held high, as she searched for her father. As usual, he was in his study, discussing something with one of his advisers. "Papa." She said, when he recognized her. His eyes shot up to the voice and he gasped. "Kellan? What have you done to yourself? You look like a man!" He shouted, waving for the adviser to leave. Kellan rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Papa. Don't even start. It's been three years since I've seen you. The least you could have done was give me a hug." She said, barely keeping her temper in check. How dare he start reprimanding her of the way she lived when it was he who arranged it? "Besides, you were the one who set this entire thing in motion. I could just as easily blame you for making me this way." She said, before sitting down in one of the chairs by the fireplace. Rumpelstiltskin stood in a corner and watched the entire thing, something like amusement and pride in his eyes.

Sir Cailain stuttered. "Y-yes, well. Are you back now? Have you been released?" He asked, shooting a furtive glance to the man in the corner. Rumpel giggled at this as Kellan shook her head. "No, Papa. I've found I rather enjoy life right now. They've accepted me with open arms, and I'm one of the Betas in the pack." She said, rolling her eyes at her father's confused look. "It means, if something happened to our pack leader, me and the other Beta will step up to take his place." She explained, wincing slightly at the thought of having to rule beside Jakob. She truly disliked him, but there was nothing she could do about it. Unless she wanted to step down, which she didn't. If she did, that would mean that she would have to follow Jakob's rules as well as Aiden's. And she knew what kind of rule Jakob would have for her.

"Oh. Well then, why are you here?" Her father asked suspiciously, shooting another glance to Rumpelstiltskin. "Papa, don't worry. He's here because I asked him to bring me here. It was either that, or I walk the entire way. Which would mean I wouldn't have gotten here until nighttime." She said, shooting him a meaningful glance. When night fell, she was a different creature, and she wasn't sure her father would be able to handle that kind of surprise. Sir Cailain sat down with a huff, realizing what his daughter meant. "Oh." Was all he could say.

"Anyway. I was wondering if Granny was around. I wanted to ask after her granddaughter." Kellan said, leaning forward slightly. Her father visibly paled at this news. "You're... you're not going to try and turn that little girl, are you?" He asked, starting to shake. Red was a very sweet girl, of about sixteen, and he didn't want anything bad happening to her. "No, Papa. Her mother is in our pack. Every year, we try to get Granny to allow Anita to see Red. It's the only thing she ever asks for." Kellan said, sighing slightly. "Oh. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Granny has resigned her place and now lives out in the woods with Red. She hasn't worked here in over a year now." Her father said tentatively. Kellan let out a curse, making her father flinch. Which angered her to no end. "Father, why do you fear me so? It's not like I'm some hideous beast who's out for blood." She said, jumping up and stepping away from the cowering man. "B-but that's where you're wrong! The moment they changed you is the moment you gave up all hope of ever being a human! You are one of the werewolves now, and werewolves are monsters!" He shouted, jumping out of his own chair. Kellan's eyes flashed dangerously. "Watch who you're calling a monster, Cailain. You're in the company of two very powerful beings." Rumpel said, stepping in between her and her father. "And I'm not the one you need to worry about right at this moment." He added, a rare note of seriousness in his voice.

Sir Cailain puffed out his chest. "Are you threatening me?" He asked, looking braver than he felt. Rumpel giggled. "Not at all. I'm just warning you that the woman you see in front of you is not a force to be reckoned with. Especially since she's so... adept at being what she is. Did you know she can change her form at will?" He asked, glancing over at Kellan who was seething. "I've only met three werewolves who can do that. And the other two weren't nearly as quick with the transformation as she is." He said, dancing slightly with glee. He was very angry at her father as well, for his choice of words, but he was happy to let Kellan have the light for once.

As if her were a balloon, and someone had popped him with a needle, Sir Cailain deflated. "Just... Just leave me. I don't want anything to do with either of you. Ever again. I have no daughter anymore, and what I see before me isn't even a human. I'm sure you could find Granny's house using your... new found family." He muttered, turning his back on them. Kellan glared at his back and spat towards him. The highest sign of disrespect. "Fine. You gave up rights to be my father when you married that... that bitch." She said, smirking when his shoulders tensed. "You mean the woman you murdered in cold blood?" He asked, not turning around.

Kellan didn't wait for another word. She turned her back and stormed out of the castle. She was itching to transform and run, but she knew Rumpel would be pissed at her.

Rumpel, however, had other plans.

The moment Kellan was out of ear shot, he danced over to Sir Cailain. "You know, she only killed Selene to save your life. She overheard that woman talking to a maid about how she'd kill you, and Carlyle would kill Kellan, and they would unite their lands through marriage. You just cast out probably the strongest ally you could have ever hoped for. Forever. On her birthday." He said, giggling with glee as realization dawned on Cailain's face. But The Dark One knew his pride would never allow him to chase after his daughter. "Have a good life, sir." He finished, bowing slightly in mockery. Cailain didn't miss the sarcasm on the word 'sir'.

Rumpelstiltskin met up with Kellan outside the castle. She was staring up at the side of the building, and he saw scorch marks on the bricks. "This is where they torched my ivy ladder..." She said, before shaking her head and turning to Rumpel. "Do you know where the cabin that father talked about is?" She asked, receiving a nod. She bit her lip and glanced away. "Can you take me there? I don't want to waste time in getting Anita's birthday present ready." She said. The Dark One didn't miss the sound of distress in her voice. Her father had shaken her more than she let on.

He nodded, knowing she didn't see him, and wrapped his arms around her.

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has stayed with me this far! I know things are going a little slow right now, but I promise they'll pick up soon! I just have to lay out the background!**_

_**SeriouslySirius09**_


	6. Pain

_**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from Once Upon A Time is not my own.**_

* * *

**Chapter Six: Pain**

They appeared in front of a very cozy-looking cabin. It sat in a small clearing in the woods, and Kellan guessed that during the winter it would have been a beautiful sight. As it was spring, it was nearly breathtaking. The flowers were in early bloom, and the trees were all a very bright green. The little fruit bushes surrounding the area looked as if they had already been harvested. This definitely seemed like a home to the Granny that Kellan remembered. She smiled as little memories popped into her mind. Out of everyone she missed from her home, Granny was second only to her mother.

Taking a deep breath, Kellan glanced at Rumpelstiltskin before knocking on the door. There was the sound of someone shuffling across the floor, picking something heavy-sounding, and then the latch slid opened. Kellan saw a bright blue eye through a pair of glasses. Granny's eyes widened at her visitors and she pulled the door open fully. "Kellan! My word! You're alive!" She exclaimed, setting aside her crossbow. _'So that was the reason for the heavy-sounding item she picked up….' _Kellan thought, before being pulled into a hard hug from the elderly woman. "Hi Granny! Yes, of course I'm still alive. My family is so much better than I could have expected." She said, letting out a slight laugh. She didn't know if Granny wanted to know too many details, so she kept herself vague. "Oh! Speaking of your family…. How's that daughter of mine doing? The only time I ever see her is on her birthday. And she only wants to see Red." Granny told her, rolling her blue eyes. Kellan smiled. "She doesn't think you want to see her. Because of her… nature. She misses the both of you terribly." She said, to Granny's surprise. "She misses me? I had no idea. I always thought she only wanted to take Red away to become one of you guys." She admitted sheepishly. Kellan shook her head. "Granny, as much as we all love who and what we are, Anita wouldn't wish it on her only daughter. She just wants to see how she's doing. That's the only thing she ever asks for on her birthday."

Granny sighed. "Well, I wish I knew that before. Red is currently spending the night at her friend Snow White's castle. I arranged it, knowing Anita would be back again tomorrow." She explained. "Oh! How rude of me. Please come in!" She said, realizing that the pair was still standing on her porch. Rumple eyed her warily. "I can stay out here…" He offered, knowing the old bat didn't like him. "Hush now, you. I'll not have you walking away without something to drink." She said, waving away his offer. Even though she didn't like him, she wasn't about to shut the door on his nose. The pair standing outside nodded their consent and followed the woman inside.

The house was warm – almost too warm for Kellan. Since she became a Child of the Night, her body's temperature had risen a few degrees. Now it was nearly impossible for her to get cold. The bad thing? It was almost too easy for her to get overheated. And with the fire blazing merrily in the kitchen, warming the entire two-bedroom cabin up in minutes, Kellan was uncomfortable. Instead of putting Granny out, she walked over and stood next to the kitchen window.

"So Red is at Snow White's castle? Isn't she the step-daughter of Queen Regina?" Kellan asked, making small talk as Granny made them tea. "The same. I don't trust Regina as far as I can throw her, but that child is a dear. I haven't seen Red this happy with friends her age in a long time. She always feels left out because of the situation she's in with her mother. And Snow knows all too well the pains of missing a mother." Granny explained. "As it stands, I can't allow Anita to see Red tomorrow, since she's just not here. But I do have something that should tide her over until her next visit." The woman said, walking out of the kitchen for a moment. "Are we going to be here long? I do have appointments I need to keep, dearie." Rumple said, walking over to stand next to Kellan. He wouldn't admit it, but he was also getting warm. Kellan shot him a look and sighed. "Then go to your appointments. I can find my way back to the den." She said, frowning at his thoughtful expression. "But you have no idea how far away from your den we are." He protested. "Doesn't matter. I can pick up Anita's scent as a wolf and I can follow it back." She said, shrugging. "It's a full night's ride, if you're running at a good pace. Straight east from here." He said, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Kellan growled just as Granny reentered the kitchen. She stopped short at the sound and glared at Kellan. "Sorry, Granny. The 'Dark One' just had to make an appointment. It'll be a long night's run to get home." She explained, a sarcastic note entering her voice. A knowing look came into the elder woman's eye and she gave a small smile. "Well then I shan't keep you much longer. I just want you to give Anita two things. The first, is a promise that she'll come visit some day, and not just to see her daughter. I want at least a full day with her, and if it's not full moon, maybe she could stay the night. I've a lot to say, and I'm sure she does as well." She said, before setting some papers on the table. "The second is these. Red loves to draw. Especially pictures that remind her of her mother. I'm sure Anita would love to see some of these." She said. Kellan looked at the pieces of paper laying on the table and her eyes grew wide. They were amazing. The detail she put in to each line on the papers was beyond words. There were several of wolves – some howling at the moon in a winter scene, some playing in an entire pack, some running through the forest. The common factor in all of them was the single black wolf with ice-blue eyes. Then there were the pictures Red drew of Anita as a human. These were more in number than the wolf ones, but with the same variety. The last few were of Red – or so Kellan guessed. The girl in the pictures bore a remarkable resemblance to Anita, with a few subtle differences. Her skin tone, for instance, was lighter than Anita's, as were her eyes. Kellan never thought she'd see someone with lighter eyes than Anita.

"These are…. Beautiful." Kellan gushed, trying to burn them all to memory. Maybe she could have Red draw a couple of pictures for her. That is, if she ever met the girl. "Anita is going to cry when she sees these. She always thought Red never wanted to see her. She thought she hated her." Kellan admitted, before glancing up at Granny. The elder woman shook her head sadly and turned away for a moment. The younger woman's ears picked up the sound of a slight sniffle. "Well, Granny. I must be getting off if I'm to reach the den before the morning." She said, trying to give the woman space. Granny nodded and turned back around to place the pictures inside Kellan's pack. It would lay flat between her shoulder blades when she was in her wolf form, and the drawings would come to no harm. With one last hug goodbye, the two women parted on the steps of the cabin and Kellan walked off to transform without being seen.

What Kellan didn't expect, however, was the scene at the den when she reached it.

* * *

She had run home at a slight jog, not wanting to wear herself out too much. But she had picked up Anita's trail easily and knew she was getting close. The moon had just started to set on the horizon, and Kellan knew that Rumpelstiltskin's estimated time frame was true. She smiled to herself as she entered familiar territory, but that smile turned in to worry when she didn't hear a sound other than the ones she was making. She slowed her jog to a walk, then a full stop. The crickets weren't chirping, the regular wolves weren't howling their kill, the nocturnal creatures weren't moving a muscle. Something was very, very wrong.

Slowly, and quietly, Kellan made her way through the trees, keeping her eyes and ears out for anything amiss. She couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was making its way up her spine. It made her hackles rise. She had discarded the bag she carried in a small bush to keep it out of harm's way, and took the few more steps to the clearing in front of the den.

What she saw was a massacre.

There were at least six bodies strewn around, all of them her pack mates. But the one that caught her attention was the man lying face up, with his throat torn out. His light brown hair moved slightly in the wind, but it was his eyes that stopped Kellan in her tracks. Those dark blue orbs would forever haunt her. _'Oh, Aiden… What happened to you?'_ She thought, allowing a tear to roll down her muzzle. She gently reached out and draped her paw across his face, closing his eyes, before turning to the den entrance. Someone would be answering for this atrocity. She took a few steps back and let out a long, mournful howl. It served two purposes: To vent her grief over her fallen comrades, and to let whoever was in the den know she was there. It didn't take long to cause a commotion amongst the people still inside, and before she could blink, Kellan was faced with the rest of the pack. Everyone was in wolf form as they filed out and sat around the den with a tense attitude. _'What the hell happened here?' _ She asked, standing up and pacing a bit. _'Who killed these people?'_ She demanded. A few of the wolves shrank back in her fury, but one stepped forward. _'Kellan… It was Jakob…. He stormed in last night preaching how he was the true leader of the pack, and Aiden was just a stepping stone. They…. They tried to stop him, but they were no match…. Aiden was the last one, but he didn't last long….'_ Anita's voice filled Kellan's mind as the others agreed with her story. Kellan turned to her pack mate and shook her head. _'I always knew there was something dark in him, but this?'_ She managed, before a low laugh filled the area. "My queen! How nice of you to finally join us! I see you've noticed that I've been recently promoted." He told the wolf glaring at him as he walked into the clearing. His dark eyes flashed dangerously and Kellan's hackles rose. "You see, there comes a time in every man's life when he must take what he is deserved. And you, my dear, are what I deserve. You've pushed me away for far too long, and now I've ruined your little family. Why don't you be a good little girl and accept my offer as queen. Together, you and I will rule these lands with an iron fist." He said, to which Kellan snarled. She knew that he was staying in his human form for just this reason – she couldn't talk back to him. And she was way too furious to even think about changing back herself.

"No? Well, that won't do. I won't have a disobedient wife. First, I'm going to break you. Then I'm going to take you. You will be mine, Kellan." He said, before transforming and lunging at Kellan.

She was surprised by his attack, but quickly recovered and threw him off. Today, only one person will be walking away from this fight. And it wasn't going to be Jakob. They clashed together in a frenzy of fur, claws and teeth, and the other pack members scrambled to get out of the way. Jakob had muscle and size on her, but Kellan was faster and just as good at fighting. They were very evenly matched. For every big bite that Jakob gave Kellan, she gave him two or three smaller ones. For every time Kellan managed to knock Jakob off his feet, he was able to throw her.

The fight went on for what seemed like forever, but no one dared leave the clearing. They gave Kellan hope that she was fighting for what was right, and she gave them hope that she could actually win this. They kept a wide berth from the two fighting wolves, but were sitting around the clearing in a loose circle. Every now and then someone would have to leap out of the way of snapping jaws and scratching claws, but then the two would make their way back to the center. There was a lot of blood being shed, and none of the watching members could tell who was sustaining more injuries. Until, that is, Jakob had finally bested Kellan. He managed to flip her over and knock the wind from her lungs. She lay there, panting, as he calmly walked up and stood over her. _'I was going to just break you then make you my wife, but you're far too gone for me to let you live… I am truly sorry about this…'_ He told her, not sounding sorry in the slightest. As he bent his head to her throat, Kellan closed her eyes and braced herself for death. It couldn't be that bad, could it?

But the killing bite never came.

Kellan opened her eyes just in time to see Riley throw herself at Jakob and manage to push him off. She blinked as he snarled, grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and threw her against the nearest tree. But that was the distraction she needed. With one last effort, Kellan pushed herself off the ground and lunged at Jakob, successfully capturing his throat in her jaws. She didn't register his surprise or stuttered plea to let him live before she jerked her head. A spray of blood covered her face and Jakob fell to the ground, lifeless.

She stood there, panting and shaking from exertion, and looked around the circle. Everyone stood up, bowed their heads in respect, and began cheering. Kellan had done it. She had killed Jakob and was now the pack leader. Then why didn't she feel happy? One glance at all the bodies reminded her why she did it.

Her mind barely registered the shocked, anguished _'Riley!'_ that Anita yelled before she passed out.

* * *

Anita was very glad that Kellan had won the fight. She didn't think she could live with Jakob being the Alpha, especially not after watching him brutally murder those poor people in the clearing. When she turned around to cheer with Riley, she didn't see the blonde wolf. Worry evident in her eyes, she went searching for her friend and found her. _'Oh! Riley! There you are! Come on! Kellan won the fight!'_ She told the wolf lying on the ground. _'Riley?'_ There was no response. Anita turned the wolf over with her paws and fell backwards. Riley was staring up at the sky, sightless. Jakob had killed her when he threw her into the tree. As Anita watched in horror, she saw that Riley's back was bent at an odd angle. _'Riley!'_ She howled, getting the attention of half the pack. The other half was focused on Kellan, who had just passed out.

As they watched, Kellan had transformed back to human and she was covered in scratches, bites and blood. Everyone quickly changed back themselves and a few of the women gasped and started crying. "She's not dead! But she will be if we don't get her some help!" Trystan yelled, leaning over her and checking for a pulse. Anita was the only calm one. "Rumpelstiltskin!" She called. She waited a bit then called his name two more times in succession. A soft _pop _told them that he had appeared and turned to face The Dark One. "What do you want? Can't you see I'm a busy man?" He asked shortly, before his eyes took in the entire scene. The six dead bodies on one side, Aiden included. That little blonde girl - Ruby? Randy? No, Riley. She was lying dead closer to him. And Jakob, with his throat torn clean out, somewhere to the right of him. His eyes quickly scanned the faces looking at him and they narrowed when he didn't see the person he was looking for. "Where is Kellan?" He asked. The crowd parted as Trystan walked toward him, a bloody mess of something in his arms. No… wait…. Someone…

Rumple froze as the man brought the precious bundle closer to him. All he could see was blood, blood, and more blood. Under most of it were cuts and bite marks, but it was her face that got to him. It was almost impossible to tell that it was Kellan, and he would have accused the pack of lying to him, if he didn't see the faint scar on her right cheek. Trystan held his arms out, a sign that he wanted to give Kellan to Rumple. He slowly reached out to the form and took her into his arms before looking back up at Trystan. Why on earth would they give her to him? Surely they had their own ways of burying a member of their pack? Then Trystan's words caught him up. "She's still alive. We need your help or she'll die." He said. His words were like a welcoming douse of ice-cold water down his back and he nodded once before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

He appeared in a nearby hospital which treated people for the terminal illnesses. A nurse saw him and rushed over to take Kellan from his arms. He jerked away before the lady could touch her. "I've got her. I need a private room, and about three of your workers who can keep a closed mouth." He ordered, receiving a nod before the woman disappeared. It wasn't a few moments before he was ushered into the room and the head nurse herself walked up to him. "She's a Child of the Night, isn't she?" She whispered, receiving a nod from the man. She nodded her consent then turned to give orders to her three workers. "Gloves. No cuts anywhere. You may get infected from her blood." She said. She turned back to Rumple and motioned for him to lay Kellan on the bed. "Get her stable. I'll take her after that." He said, turning and walking out of the hospital. He had questions that needed answers – immediately. He popped back over to the den and walked straight up to Trystan and Anita who were gathering the fallen. It didn't escape his notice that they left Jakob on the edge of the clearing.

"What happened here?" He demanded when he reached the pair. Trystan stood up from placing Riley's body with the others and sighed. "Jakob came barging in to the den last night spouting off something about being the rightful Alpha and cutting down Aiden. Five of us stood up to him, but as you can see, they didn't last long. Aiden lasted longer, but even he wasn't able to beat Jakob. A few hours later, we heard Kellan howling outside and knew that she was back. When we all came out, she was a sight to see. She was pacing, her hackles were raised, and she was wearing a permanent snarl. I don't even think she realized that." He explained, a ghost of a smile on his face as he remembered the fury in Kellan. "As we were trying to tell her what happened, Jakob came out and started telling her how she was to be his queen and that if she wouldn't bow, he'd make her. Then they started fighting. It lasted at least two hours. Near the end, we all thought he had Kellan. He had just thrown her off him, and was going in for the kill when Riley sacrificed herself to save Kellan. Because of her, Kellan was able to rip Jakob's throat out. Then she passed out, and we called you." Anita finished, stepping up to stand next to Trystan. Rumple let out a curse. 'If only I had stayed with her, I could have transported her here quicker and this all would have been avoided….' He thought, angry at himself. He looked at Anita and Trystan before nodding. "She had something for you. I don't know what. But your mother had given it to her. Where's her backpack?" He asked, before someone brought it over to him. "I found it in one of the bushes over there." She said, handing him the bag and walking away. "Here. I must be going now." He told them, tossing the bag to Anita and disappearing back to the hospital.

The nurses and single doctor were working frantically to save Kellan. They had washed her of all the blood that was caked on her, but she still looked ghastly. Rumpelstiltskin wasn't sure if he preferred seeing her like this, or covered in blood. At least then all her cuts were more or less hidden. He grimaced as he watched them work. They had stitched up the worst of the cuts and bites, and were working fervently to clean and dress the lesser ones. There was one woman who hadn't left Kellan's side, and Rumple watched her. "Heartbeat still steady, and getting a little stronger." She noted after ten minutes. So she was making sure Kellan wasn't fading on them. Good. He'd pay the hospital handsomely for their work.

Two hours later, the head nurse walked up to Rumple and sighed. "She's doing very well, Sir. Her heartbeat is steady and strong, and her wounds are all cleaned up. I think she's ok to be moved now. And I think I would prefer it if you did it sooner rather than later. We can't afford her to stay here after dark." She warned, before walking off to tend to another patient. Rumple stood up from the chair he was sitting in and walked into her room. She looked like a mummy. Her chest was wrapped several times, as was one of her legs. They didn't say anything about bones being broken, but Rumple figured they were at least severely bruised. And since tonight was a full moon, her transformation was inevitable. And going to be very painful. He sighed and walked over to pick her up. Once she was in his arms, he transported them both to his castle. As soon as he got inside, he walked up a flight of stairs and down a long corridor. He opened one of the doors closest to the end of the hallway with magic and walked in. The first room was a sitting room. Complete with books, a drawing table, chairs, tables, and a desk. The second room, where he carried her now, was the bedroom. There was a full sized bed, with a four-poster canopy. A wardrobe stood in the corner across the room, and there was another writing desk next to the window. Other odds and ends were scattered throughout the room - giving off the appearance that it was in the process of being cleaned up, but was still used as storage. He laid her on the bed before pulling the covers down and back over her. He didn't think she'd take kindly to waking up on top of the covers, dressed as scantily as she was. The nurses had to cut away most of her clothing in order to fix her up, and the only thing covering her chest was the bandages.

After ascertaining that she was still doing alright, he left the room without a backward glance and went straight into his study. He thought about what happened, and the nurses words about it night falling. Then he cursed and turned around. If she was going to transform unwillingly and wake up in a foreign place, she might rip apart his meticulous work in fright. He sighed and walked back into her room. He tossed the covers off her sleeping form and picked her back up before walking out of the room. He went back downstairs and down another hallway, before stopping at an opened door. This room was just a bedroom with an attached bathroom, but there was a second door that led outside. The room was bare of furnishings except a fireplace, a bed, and a writing table. If this room had ever been used, it was before he had moved in. But thanks to his magic running the place, it did not need to be dusted. He pulled the covers down with one hand while holding her up with the other, and laid her back down. As he pulled the covers over her, he could have sworn he heard her mutter something. He quickly backed out of the room, shutting and locking the door behind him, and entered the great hall. He didn't glance at a single one of his trophies except for her locks of hair as he made his way to the corner where his spinning wheel sat. The hall was only lit by the fire burning brightly, as the curtains that draped the high windows were nailed shut. He sighed and thought of what she had muttered as he began to spin.

If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn she whispered his name.

* * *

It was some time later when Rumple was startled out of his spinning by a crash. He jumped up and ran to the nearest window that he could see out of and cursed when he saw the moon rising in the distance. She had awoken and already transformed. Another crash sounded, this one louder, and he ran to the room. The door that he shut and locked was still in place, but he could see the lock was bent at an odd angle. She was trying to get out. He hesitated a moment before unlocking the door and opening it, only to freeze in surprise. How long had she been awake? The bed was in pieces, the inside of the door he stood by was scratched to high hell, and the bathroom door was splintered open. He saw that the writing desk was, miraculously, untouched. The main thing that caught his attention, however, was the door that led outside was lying flat on the ground. She had broken loose.

He let another curse fly as he ran out of the door and searched the oncoming darkness for her figure. There, just now scaling the high walls around his land. He ran to the spot on the wall where she disappeared and jumped up. It was times like these where he was glad to be The Dark One. His jumping and climbing skills were unmatched. He quickly hopped down the other side of the wall and took off running in the direction she was headed. It wasn't toward the den, or anything in his memory that could endanger people. So he followed, having to transport himself a few times to keep up, until she stopped in a clearing. She was panting, limping, and snarling nonstop. He knew she was in pain, but he didn't know quite how much. He quietly climbed a tree and watched her warily. When she turned his direction, he stopped himself from gasping. Her eyes had lost the life in them that he was familiar with. All that was there was animal. So the shock of everything had reverted her back to the first night she transformed. The true werewolf.

Mentally cursing, he dropped down to the ground and walked out into the field. She heard his footsteps and whirled on him, snarling. Before she could take two steps, however, he waved his hand and her feet froze in place. She snarled once more at the ground before snapping her attention back to him. "Now, now, dearie. I have to freeze you like this. It would do you no good to bite me." He said, letting out a high-pitched giggle. She growled at his laugh and he eyed her thoughtfully. She was a rather remarkable creature. Even after three years of being a werewolf, her right ear had never straightened out. It still flopped halfway down, except when she was listening intently to something. And the coloring on her cheek where her scar was had faded slightly, but his keen eyes could still pick out the different shades. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way." He finally said. She had stopped growling, but her hackles were still raised. He walked backwards a few paces before waving his hand. She didn't realize that he had freed her feet for a moment, but when she did, she tried to lunge again. Rumple sighed and froze her once more. "Looks like it's going to be the hard way. Alright, dearie. Let's see if this doesn't change your mind." He said, before trying to remember what they had chanted to her that first night. _ 'Listen for my voice….. listen for my voice….. listen for my voice….'_ He thought, reaching out to her mind.

It was an hour later of them staring at each other before a flash of recognition sparked in her eyes. He smiled and began talking to her. "Come on, dearie. I know you're still in there. Listen for my voice. Fight the pain." He said, taking a small step closer. The recognition was gone, but she had calmed enough to sit down. He reached out a single hand, retracting it slightly when her hackles rose, but then continued his advance. If she bit him, he wouldn't be affect, but it would still hurt. As it was, she let him touch the side of her neck for a moment before starting a low growl. "Listen for my voice. Listen for my voice. Come back to me." He whispered repeatedly. After a very long while, she calmed enough for him to pet her without growling. A little while after that, her hackles lowered. And then…. _'Rumpelstiltskin?'_ He heard. He knew she was back, but wasn't out of the danger yet. She could still revert.

But that one word had his heart pounding in his chest.

_'Yes, dearie… I'm here… Listen for my voice… Come back to me…'_ He told her, a very small smile forming on his lips as he continued to pet her. _'What… happened? Why do I hurt so much?'_ She asked, turning her face to look at him. He inwardly winced, then sighed out loud. "Think, Kellan. What is the last thing you remember?" He asked, taking a small step back so they could look at each other without craning their necks. _ 'I…. we were at Granny's house. Then you left for an appointment… She had given me drawings for Anita's birthday, and I was jogging home….'_ A heavy silence filled the clearing as everything came rushing back to her. _'Jakob… he's…. dead? And Riley? Oh god! Riley! Is she ok?'_ Kellan asked, wanting to pace but finding herself frozen to the ground. _'Rumple, you can let me go. I have control now….'_ She said. He nodded and waved his hand. She began to pace quickly, but slowed down as her bruises and injuries smarted. _'How did I get here? Last thing I remember is passing out in front of the den….'_ She thought, before shooting an inquisitive glance at the man standing near her. He nodded and told her what happened. "They called me, and gave you to me. I thought you were dead until that boy… Trystan? Told me you were still alive. I brought you to a hospital and they fixed you up. Once you were stable enough to be moved, I brought you to my castle. Which I think we should go back to now. You need rest if you're going to heal properly." He said, reaching out a hand. She nodded and walked up to him, letting his fingers brush through the fur on her shoulder. A second later, there was that odd sensation of being transported once more, and when she opened her eyes, she was in the great hall of the Dark Castle.

_'Not much for dramatics, are you?'_ She teased, a sarcastic tone in her thoughts. Rumple giggled and motioned for her to follow him. "I had originally brought you to this room, but thought better of it. I'm glad I chose the other room." He said, showing her to the sitting room. She padded in and looked around. _'It looks almost identical to the rooms I used to have…'_ She remarked, before walking in to the bedroom. _'This is a very beautiful room, Rumple. Thank you…'_ She told him, glancing up into his eyes. He shrugged and gave his hand a flourish. "Just rest up. When you're better, I'll speak to you about possible living arrangements." He said, before turning and walking out of the room. He shut the door behind him and went back in to his study. She was back, she was herself, and she was safe. The three things he wanted the most had happened within moments.

Kellan inwardly sighed as she examined the room, before fatigue pulled at her. She knew sleeping like a wolf when her injuries were fixed as a human was going to uncomfortable and painful, but she was too tired to care. And she didn't want to wait until the sun rose to go to bed. She lightly hopped up on the bed and turned a few times before laying down. The last thought that entered her mind before sleep bested her was that Rumple had saved her life.

Today was a long day.

* * *

_**Whooo! Poor Kellan! Going through soooo much! Well, hopefully I can start arranging things better now so we can get to the real juicy crime and romance stuff! Yay!**_

_**Reviews would be very much appreciated, but I'm not one to push.**_

_**Thank you!**_

_**SeriouslySirius09**_


	7. New Beginnings

_**Hey all! Sorry about the long wait. Work has been extremely hectic this week! But here we go! I hope everyone likes the new chapter. I had a little difficulty writing it, but I powered through.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time. **_

* * *

**Chapter Seven: New Beginnings **

When Kellan awoke, she felt extremely well-rested – if very sore. She felt that she could handle the pains of healing now that she got some much-needed sleep. The first thought that entered her mind was of how long she slept. It seemed like she had only just closed her eyes, but at the same time she felt like she was in a coma for a year. She shook her head to get rid of the sleep still in her eyes before stretching and sitting up. It took a little more effort than she was expecting – as if her muscles weren't used to moving. Confused, she looked around the room. Nothing had changed out of the ordinary, except a new set of clothes laid out on the writing desk. She knew that to be Rumpelstiltskin's doing, and smiled to herself. No matter what people said about him, she knew he had a heart. She gingerly walked over to the desk and picked up the clothes. There was a pair of leather pants, a snug-fitting shirt without sleeves, and a vest of some sort. On the ground was a pair of brand-new leather boots. _'He's going to spoil me….'_ She thought, smirking. She quickly changed her clothes, still moving carefully so as not to pull any stitches or reopen cuts, and headed out of her rooms.

It took her a few tries, but she eventually found her way down to the great hall where she heard a peculiar noise. It sounded like something was slowly spinning. She looked inside, trying to figure out the source of the noise, and spotted The Dark One sitting in the corner. If her eyes weren't so keen, she would have missed him. She smiled slightly and entered the room, clearing her throat to let Rumple know that she was there. The spinning slowed to a stop and she watched as he looked up from his concentration to find her. The barest hint of a suggestion of a smirk graced his lips, then it was gone. "How kind of you to join the living, dearie. You've been out for nearly four days." He remarked, his voice taking on the annoying high-pitch she was used to when he was frustrated. Her eyes widened at his information and she paused. "I was asleep for four days? No wonder I feel so great." She said, receiving a giggle. "I should think so! Not even an elephant parading through your rooms would have awakened you." He said, giving his hand a little flourish for added effect. She laughed. "And I suppose you know this from experience?" He smirked, a mischievous glint in his eye as he spoke. "Wouldn't you like to know, dearie?" Kellan rolled her eyes at his attempt to spook her. "Oh please. You just wanted to see me naked." She remarked, shrugging. He paused at that, a surprised look coming on to his face, and Kellan laughed. "Calm down! It's called a joke, Dark One." She explained, as if he were a child. "Oh? Feeling well enough to joke around?" He asked, a warning note in his voice. Kellan shook her head. "Maybe not quite yet. I'm still not 100 percent." She admitted. The man nodded before waving his hand at the very long table. A huge assortment of food appeared out of nowhere, and Kellan found herself drooling at the smells. There was bacon, eggs, potatoes, scones and muffins, sandwiches, salads, chips and dip, fruit and veggies, pork, steaks, chicken, turkey, and even sweets. The table also displayed an impressive variety of drinks, ranging from water to whiskey. This last bottle made Kellan look at Rumple with an odd expression. "Whiskey? In the morning?" She asked, her eyebrow rising. Rumple shook his head. "It's actually closer to dinner, dearie. Your internal clock must be backwards." He said, receiving a very confused look. Kellan thought about this, and then nodded. She knew he was right. "Well, since I just woke up, it's breakfast to me." She said, sticking out her tongue at him as if that solved any arguments.

He shook his head and motioned to the table. "I figured you were going to be hungry when you woke. It's been a while since you've eaten." He said, before seating himself. Kellan nodded in earnest agreement before sitting down herself. There were only two chairs at the entire table, and they were seated next to each other. She glanced at Rumple and smiled slightly before piling her plate up with a salad, a sandwich, bacon, eggs, a medium-rare steak (Even though she ate raw meat at night, didn't mean she didn't love a good medium-rare steak), and a couple muffins. She then filled her cup with juice and tucked in. Rumple looked at her plate and scoffed. "You'll never finish that." He told her, as if he knew. Kellan raised an eyebrow. "Wanna bet?" She asked, a dare evident in her voice. He sat back and surveyed her. "On what conditions?" He asked. Kellan thought for a moment. "Loser pays winner one hundred gold pieces?" She offered. Rumple laughed condescendingly. "Dearie, I spin gold. What use is one hundred more pieces going to do for me?" He asked. "I know. But I also know how much I can eat. And therefore, if you take the bet, I'll be the one who's 100 pieces richer." She said, a challenging smile coming to her face. Rumple thought, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Tell you what. If you win, I'll pay you the one hundred pieces. If I win, you'll owe me a favor. But everything has to be gone before you stand up from the table." Kellan thought on this for a moment, then smirked. "Prepare to pay up, gold-spinner." She said, before digging in.

Rumple watched in fascination as first the salad and sandwich disappeared. Then she took a drink from her juice and continued with the bacon and eggs. What fascinated him the most was the fact that no matter how quickly or how much she ate, she never forgot her table manners. But they were barely discernible as she shoved one item of food after another down her gullet. Soon, the only things left was half her juice, a quarter of the steak, and her muffins. Then the rest of the food disappeared. Kellan sat back with a triumphant smile and looked over at Rumple. "Ha! I told you I could finish everything. No where's my gold?" She asked, giving him a pointed look. Rumpelstiltskin smiled slightly and stood up. "Right this way, dearie." He said, motioning for her to follow him. She nodded and stood up before starting to walk after the man. She was stopped short, however, when he spun around. What stopped her was the glint in his eye that said he was giddy with glee. "I do believe, dearie, that you lost. You now owe me one favor." He said, letting his giggle out as he danced slightly. Kellan raised her eyebrow and shook her head. "Are you blind? Can you not see my plate is completely clear?" She asked, walking back over to her spot. "Ah, but you see, we didn't bet on just the food. We bet on finishing everything. And I believe a drink is included with a meal." He said, still smiling, as he walked over and picked up her cup. He turned it upside-down and Kellan groaned in horror as half her juice poured out onto the table. "You dirty rat bastard…." She groaned, before glaring at him. "Fine. I owe you one favor. Tell me what it is." She said, crossing her arms. Rumple giggled at his victory and waved his hand. All the food and the spilled juice disappeared and he pulled her chair out for her to sit down.

"My favor is simple. Agree to become the leader of your pack. I know that once a wolf kills the alpha, they become the leader, but I saw that you were going to hand it down to Anita. I need you to accept the role. I won't tell you why – not now, but eventually I might." He said. Kellan heard the seriousness in his voice and stared hard at him. He was right – she was going to hand the role of the alpha to Anita, but he wanted her to fill that position. She sighed and nodded. "Alright. I think I can do that." She said, before standing up. "Can you take me to the den? I need to speak with everyone." Rumple nodded and stood up himself. He walked over and wrapped his arms around the girl in front of him. A thought of how comfortable they both were when they did this passed briefly through his mind before he transported them.

"Kellan! Thank god you're okay!" Anita said, rushing over to the blonde as she walked in to the den. "We've already taken care of the… bodies." She said, a flicker of grief passing her eyes. Kellan knew that the woman standing in front of her was really close to Aiden, and figured that was the biggest reason for her state now. She nodded and went to stand on the slightly raised platform that the Alpha stood on to give announcements. The entire room fell silent as numerous pairs of eyes looked to her. She took a breath before beginning. "I know that what happened here was a huge travesty. And all who witnessed it will forever remember those we've lost. Jakob was a very troubled man, but we can't be angry at him. What happened here was not only his fault, but Aiden and my self's as well. If we had taken more precautions when he started showing signs that he wanted to be alpha, this all could have been prevented. As it stands, I am your new Alpha. I was planning on giving the title to Anita, but recent events have changed my mind." Her eyes flitted over to Rumple for a brief moment. "Since it is custom for a new alpha to assign roles to everyone, I shall be doing that as well. "Anita, Trystan – you two were the betas before me, and I would like it if you could fill that role once more. Out of the six that started as the heads of the pack, there are only the three of us left." She said, looking at the pair, who eagerly nodded their heads. She nodded back and continued. "Tomorrow night, we'll hold a sparring match between all who want to be numbers four and five – the main fighters of the group." She could hear excited murmurs amongst the crowd and gave a very small smile. "Yes, it should be very exciting. However, it will be a two-part fighting competition. First, we will spar as humans, then as wolves. The two winners will be our new defenders." She explained, receiving nods from everyone in agreement. "Good. Now, tonight is a night of celebration. We will celebrate those we've lost, and those we'll gain over time. Let's get ready." She said, receiving cheers. She figured they were just encouraging her, since was new to this whole leader-of-the-entire-pack thing. But still, it felt nice that her pack members liked her enough to want to do well. She smiled to herself as she made her way over to Rumple.

"What kind of celebration are you talking about?" He asked her when she reached him. Kellan shrugged. "You know. The usual – drinking, dancing around a big fire, couples going off to enjoy each other's company… Plus the big orgy at the end of the night." His eyes snapped to hers as if in disapproval and Kellan laughed. "Only joking! You need to lighten up. Why don't you stay and partake?" She asked, receiving a shake of the head. "Drinking doesn't phase me." He said simply. "Oh, come on. We don't all drink to get drunk. Some of us actually like to remember the night. Stay for at least one dance. Please?" She asked, her lips breaking in to a huge grin when he sighed. "One dance." He consented. "Fine. But I get to pick which one." She added. His eyes turned wary at the possibility of having to stay the entire night and Kellan laughed. "I promise it won't be the last one of the evening." He finally relented and Kellan threw her arms around his neck in a hug. "Thank you. I wouldn't be where I am today without you." She told him, before letting go. "Now, time to get this shindig set up!" She said, earning cheers from everyone.

* * *

It took a total of about five hours for everything to be ready for the party. Kellan had people run and get food and drinks from the nearest village, while everyone else decorated. Sitting on a table, raised up on a platform, were eight pictures. Aiden, Riley, Jakob and the five others who lost their lives. Tonight's celebration would be in their honor. People would tell stories of the departed, some pranks that they've done or jokes that they've said, but mostly just how they lived. When the music began to kick up, a large bonfire was lit and everyone started to dance. Rumpelstiltskin kept looking over at Kellan, wishing she would allow him to dance with her so he could leave, but she would always laugh and shake her head. She kept mouthing to him 'Not yet'. After every time she turned him down, he would huff and cross his arms like a four-year-old. Kellan found it to be quite adorable. After all, he was a man who was centuries old and he was throwing tantrums.

As the night went on, Rumple found that he was enjoying himself. He would watch Kellan dance with many partners, step back and relax a bit, then going back out. She talked endlessly to her friends, remembering the people who have died. And the weirdest thing? She respected the dead. Not just those who were killed, but Jakob as well. He was her biggest enemy, yet she was still honoring him and telling tales of his life. He felt a little pride in his choice with her as he realized that she was stronger a person than he ever would have thought. As he sat there in quiet contemplation, Kellan walked up.

"Up for that dance now?" She asked, holding out her hand as a gentleman might to a lady. Rumple snapped out of his reverie and giggled. "I would be delighted, dearie." He said, before standing up and doing a small curtsy. Kellan laughed and bowed as he took her hand and she led him over to the bonfire. He thought she would expect him to make a fool out of himself like the rest of the pack was, and so he was surprised when she passed the bonfire and stopped a little ways away. They could still hear the music and could still see very well by the light of the fire, but they were more or less alone. She looked up at him and smiled. "See? Now you don't have to feel embarrassed about dancing with me." She said. He rose an eyebrow and shook his head. "Frankly, dearie, lately I've been wondering if you shouldn't be embarrassed to be see with me." He admitted, before placing his right hand on her waist and taking her right hand in his left. She tilted her head in confusion as she placed her free hand on his shoulder. "Now why in the world would I be embarrassed by you? You are, after all, The Dark One. Anyone would count themselves lucky to have you grace their presence." She said, not the tiniest hint of sarcasm. She was being honest. In the past three years since her father made the deal with him, she considered this man dancing with her to be one of her closest friends. Of course, they rarely, if ever, talked about him. But she didn't mind. She knew that he would open up to her with enough time. He wasn't a very trusting man, and she wanted to be one of the people that he did place trust in. Even if it was just as a confidant.

Rumple had looked taken aback by her statement of people wishing for his presence. "I think that fight messed your head up a little more than we thought, dearie. People don't want me in their presence. I'm a last resort – a hated one, at that." He scowled, his fingers grabbing her hip a little tighter than was necessary. Kellan shook her head. "Not to me. I find myself looking forward to our monthly walks. And whenever you 'pop in' to check up on me is always a very welcome surprise. Even when we first met I didn't hate you." She said, looking up into his eyes. They were a mixture of confusion, a little bit of awe, and something else Kellan couldn't put her finger on. He slowly shook his head and smirked slightly. "This is why I say you should be embarrassed to be seen with me. You're too good for everyone. And I mean everyone. You see the goodness even where there is none." He muttered, glaring into the woods as they slowly spun in a small circle. Kellan laughed and shook her head. "You silly, silly man." She said, before detangling herself from his arms. She saw a look of shock and hurt for a brief moment of time before she grabbed his hands and pulled him back toward the bonfire. The music had picked up again and she was determined to show that she wasn't the least bit ashamed of his company. When they reached a point where the entire pack could see them, she turned and began jumping around Rumple. He watched her warily for a moment, but her enthusiasm was highly contagious. She seemed to not care about a thing, and wasn't even bothered by her recent injuries.

He soon found himself smiling and dancing like a buffoon with his partner, and he realized that he didn't care. Every single one of the people gathered there had a dark secret that the rest of the world hated. Even if they didn't try to hide their nature, they always kept out of the public eye. In a way, he was one of them – or they were more like him. It mattered not. Here, he could let go, just a little, and not be judged. So he did.

After a couple more dances, they both were out of breath and needed to stop. They walked a ways away, out of sight of everyone and just enjoyed each other's company. "It's been a long time since I've enjoyed myself like that." He said, once he got his breath back. Kellan looked up at him. "Really? How long – if you don't mind me asking?" She wondered, receiving a shake of his head. "Not at all. It's been about….. three hundred years? Not since before my son passed away…." He trailed off, silently cursing himself for letting that bit of information slip. He heard her gasp and looked up just in time to see her arms being thrown around his neck. "Oh Rumple. I'm so sorry. I never knew." She whispered, feeling his arms hesitantly wrap around her waist. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but it might help." She offered, not moving. She found she rather liked hugging him, and this realization almost startled her. He sighed and his grip on her tightened ever-so-slightly. "My late wife died in childbirth. And the ogre wars had just started. A blind seer told me that if I fought, I would die and my son would grow up in a loveless home. So I…. injured myself to gain leave of the army. They branded me a coward, but my son was the only thing on my mind. I raised him as best I could, loving him with all my heart. When he reached the age of seventeen, however, the wars started up again and he was first in line to sign up. Nothing I could say would change his mind. He was determined to prove to everyone that my cowardice wasn't passed down to him. He lasted six months before an ogre….." He trailed off again, pain rushing through him at the memory.

_It was a stormy night, just about six months after Baelfire had left to join the army. Rumpelstiltskin was mad with worry, but he knew his son was smart. He had faith where others did not. Faith in the fact that his son would return to him victorious, removing the name 'coward' from everyone's lips. Faith in the fact that his son would live and grow up and find a wife and have children. Faith in the fact that his son was far braver and stronger than he ever could hope to be. _

_But that faith was crushed when he received a knock on the door. It was too late for any visitors, and when Rumple opened the door, his heart sank to his feet. "Rumpelstiltskin?" The man at the door asked. Rumple's mouth went dry as he nodded. "I'm sorry for your loss." The man said, before turning to the side. He could see a stretcher lined up behind the officer and he felt his heart break into tiny pieces. Slowly, he reached a hand out and removed the sheet covering the body. He didn't want to see his son like that – broken, bloody and lifeless – but it was necessary. He had to identify the body. The moment he saw Bae's face, he let out a wail and sunk to his knees. "He fought bravely, sir. His death was quick and painless." The man said, before walking away. They would retrieve the stretcher tomorrow, when it was needed. _

_Rumple stayed there, on the ground in front of his son's corpse, for hours. Just sitting, crying, and staring at his only son. He had never felt so broken before – not even when Milah had died. Their marriage was one of convenience. The village had paired them together when they were both eighteen, and there was no love lost between the two. He did his part – bring home food and keep a roof over their heads, and she did hers – bear him a son. Who was now as dead as she was. _

Kellan fought the tears that sprang to her eyes at the pain in his voice. She knew he never let his guard down, and would take this secret to her grave. She hugged him even tighter as they stood there, and she let him be supported. He needed this, and she knew that. After what seemed like an eternity, he reluctantly let her go and just stared at her. He had never felt so…. weak, since he became the dark one. And in a matter of moments, she had literally torn down his walls and made him feel like a man again. Without blinking, she brought him back from centuries of feeling like a monster. Without flinching, she single-handedly started his heart beating again – when he thought it would never do so since the night they brought Bae home. All of this came crashing down on him and something inside snapped.

He grabbed her roughly by her shoulders and pulled her back to him. She let out a startled gasp when his lips crashed onto hers, but recovered quickly and re-wrapped her arms around his neck. His own arms went around her waist and he pulled her closer. This kiss was one of need, longing, and grief. But she didn't care. As he kissed her, her thoughts were on nothing but the man holding her. How strong he was, even though he didn't look it. But he was crushing her to him, and she didn't mind. His skin was an odd texture, sure, but it suited him very nicely. His eyes, always a dark brown – almost black – with a hint of gold, lightened whenever they took their walks to talked with each other. His hair was surprisingly soft, she found, when she reached up and gently tangled her fingers into the tresses. This sign was the only thing he needed to deepen the kiss. He took her lower lip between his and gently bit, earning a gasp in return. He inwardly smirked and took that moment to invade her mouth with his tongue. Her kissing was slightly awkward, as if she'd never done this before, but she caught on rather quickly. Their tongue danced together in a furious tango while their hands explored areas they've always want to, but couldn't because it wasn't appropriate. Her hands were exploring his face, trying to memorize through touch every raised bump and line. His hands were trailing up and down her back, always stopping himself before he got to no-man's-land. When she let out a slight groan, something inside of him told him to further their kiss and he pulled her head back away from his.

Confusion flickered in her eyes and he laughed lowly, shaking his head. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into, dearie." He warned. She shook her head. "I don't care." Those three words were all the consent he needed and he backed her up into a tree. She gasped slightly at the impact on her ribs, but tried to bring his head back down to hers. He allowed this, and kissed her roughly for a moment, before turning his head and kissing down her jaw. He nibbled her earlobe, smirking when he heard her groan slightly, and continued down her neck. When he reached the junction of her neck and shoulder, he bit hard. She moaned louder and arched up into him, obviously enjoying this kind of attention, and he continued to bite and suck at that point. He knew that there would be a deep purple mark on her shoulder because of his attentions, but he found he didn't care. On the contrary, he felt pleased that this would mark her as his. After worrying that spot a few seconds more, he trailed fiery kisses down her shoulder and back up her neck, only to reunite their lips in a heated frenzy. His hands were gripping her waist tightly, as if afraid they might do something he'd regret, but hers were roaming down his chest and around his back. She was trying to feel every inch of him that she could. "Dearie, with those sounds you're making, the pack is going to think I'm eating you up." He muttered, bracing his hands on the tree behind her and looking into her eyes. Something in his look told Kellan that the thought of him eating her up was a very pleasurable one indeed. And for some reason, that had her lower stomach churning in a very strange way. "We could go somewhere more… private?" He offered, not wanting to go too quickly, but finding himself unable to prevent it. She bit her lip in thought as she blushed, and then slowly nodded her head. He let out a very quiet groan and grabbed her once more before they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Kellan didn't notice that they had transported until she opened her eyes from their kiss and saw that they were in his castle once more. She blushed even deeper as Rumple picked her up and sat her on his table before stepping between her legs. Without hesitation, he grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her face towards his – devouring her lips in a searing kiss. She once again let her hands trail his torso as their tongues danced, but found herself wanting to be closer. There was a coiling heat in her stomach, and she wasn't sure what it meant. Of course she had never gone this far with anyone – a few kisses maybe – but nothing like this. "Rumple…" She moaned as his lips began making their way to the shoulder opposite his bite mark. That one word – his name – made him lose all sense of control and he picked her up. He ordered her to wrap her legs around his waist, and began walking out of the grand hall when she complied. They made several stops on the way to his bedroom, mostly due to him wanting to taste her exposed skin once more. He would pin her to the wall and kiss and nip her shoulders and neck, before continuing his journey. He knew she was inexperienced, and he was going to show her that this was a very, very good thing. He just had to regain enough control in order to not take her like an animal.

When they finally reached his bedroom, he kicked the doors open and stepped inside. Kellan jumped slightly at the sound – not expecting it – and the sudden friction between them made them both gasp. "Dearie, you're making this very difficult for me…." He muttered in-between kisses. She stopped kissing him and looked him in the eye. "I- I've never done this before. I don't…. I don't know what to do." She admitted, her face blushing severely. He found he liked making her blush as he smirked. "I know. That's why you must let me take the lead." He said, walking them towards the bed. He gently laid her down on top of the blankets and crawled over her. She was about to protest when his lips kissed the exposed skin on her chest. In their movements, her shirt had loosened enough so that some cleavage was showing. And he was taking his time in kissing every inch of skin he could reach. She felt his hands lazily trailing up her sides and gasped when they brushed the underside of her breasts. He took that as a positive sign and reached up to cup them, earning a slight moan. She arched into his hands and he kneaded the mounds with relish. Opening one eye, he could see that her nipples were peaking and smirked. He was going to taste them if it was the last thing he did.

After another moment of palming her breasts, he lifted his hands to the opening of her shirt and glanced up at her. She looked down and shook her head. "Don't you – " She was cut off by the sound of ripping fabric and almost groaned in protest. But even that was interrupted by the feeling of his mouth on one of her nipples. She cried out at the new, but very desirable, feeling and lost all train of thought. She didn't even feel embarrassed that she was naked now from the waist up to this man who wasn't her husband. All she wanted was to feel his hands and mouth roam her torso. She let her head fall back onto his pillow as she tangled her fingers in his hair. "By the gods, Rumple…." She muttered, feeling him smile against her skin. It was only when she felt his hands starting to tug on her pants that she woke up. "Wait…. I…. Not yet…." She muttered, reaching down and stopping his movements. He looked up at her sharply and searched her face. It was burning with embarrassment, but she was determined. She wasn't ready for _that_ step yet. Rumple sighed and nodded, running a hand through his hair. He crawled back up to where she was laying and took her into his arms before kissing her once more. "I'm sorry. I'm just….." She trailed off, now feeling guilty. He could hear it in her voice. With a gentle hand, he raised her chin to look at him. "Never be sorry for telling someone 'no'. If you're not ready, then you're not ready." He said simply, shrugging. He could wait. After all, she was his now – if that bite mark had anything to say about it. Kellan nodded and scooted her body down on the mattress to allow her head to rest on his chest. She closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep.

Rumpelstiltskin sat there for another hour, staring at the sleeping form cuddled next to him. He didn't know why he told her about his son, but it seemed to have opened a door for the pair. One he was happy to allow. She was the first person in three centuries to get him to divulge that much information, and all she did was hug him. No, that wasn't true. It had been her constant work over the last three years that they've known each other. It was her friendship that she offered time and time again, even when she knew what some of his deals contained. It was her unwavering loyalty to her pack, even when it nearly cost her life. It was her green eyes that spoke of far more intelligence than he had originally thought. It was her determination to go on through life no matter what the cards were that she was handed. It was her laughter. It was her anger. It was her caring heart. It was… everything she was. He found himself caring a lot more about the slip of a girl next to him than he thought he ever would. It wasn't love – not even close. But it was something similar. It was something that would have to be nurtured and cared for and protected. It would take a lot of time and effort. But he didn't care about all of that right then.

He glanced once more at Kellan's sleeping form and closed his eyes.

* * *

_**Thanks again for staying with me! I hope you all liked this chapter!**_

_**SeriouslySirius09**_


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